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STORIES OF 
AMERICAN HISTORY 




The Santa Maria, the Little Flagship of Columbus, with whose memorable 
voyage American history begins. 



STORIES OF 
AMERICAN HISTORY 



BY 



WILBUR F. GORDY 



FORMERLY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, SPRINGFIELD, MASS.; AUTHOR OF "a HISTORY OF THE 
UNITED STATES FOR SCHOOLS," " ELEMENTARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES," "AMERI- 
CAN LEADERS AND HEROES," "AMERICAN BEGINNINGS IN EUROPE," "STORIES 
OF AMERICAN EXPLORERS," "COLONIAL DAYS," "STORIES 
OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY," AND " STORIES 
OF LATER AMERICAN HISTORY " 



WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 



CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS 



NEW YORK 



CHICAGO 



BOSTON 



ft* 

.3 



Copyright, 1913, 1915, 1917, by 
CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS 



NOV 19 1917 



©CU477625 

hi Ik 




PREFACE 

In writing this hook, no attempt has been made to deal 
especially with the causal aspects of history. They belong 
to a later phase of the learner's growth. The earlier stage, 
for which this book is designed, obtains its ideas of the past 
most naturally from the pictorial side; that is, from those 
external features of events which can best be presented 
through pictures, descriptions, and illustrative stories put 
together in chronological sequence. 

The aim of the author has been to select those interest- 
ing and colorful facts identified more or less closely with 
the lives of strong and masterful men who were the leaders 
of great movements and the centres of important situations ; 
and then, with the teacher's co-operation, to interpret the 
material thus selected in such a way as to appeal to the 
imagination, and through the imagination to the heart and 
will of the child. Thus will he be helped to reconstruct 
the past — to people it with vigorous flesh-and-blood men 
and women, thinking, feeling, willing, and acting very 
much like the men and women about him. He will, so far 
as his imagination allows, stand by the side of great leaders, 
feeling the impulse of their ideals and aspirations, sharing 
in their achievements, and learning from their successes 
and failures something of use in his own life. 

"Stories of American History" follows somewhat closely 
the course of study prepared by the Committee of Eight, 
covering the topics outlined for Grades IV and V. It was 
the plan of that committee to take up in these grades, 
largely in a biographical way, a great part of the essential 
facts of American history; and with this plan I, as a mem- 
ber of that committee, was in hearty accord. This method, 

vii 



viii PREFACE 

it is believed, serves a double purpose. In the first place, it 
is the best possible way of laying the foundation for the 
later and more detailed study of United States history in 
the higher grammar grades by those pupils who are to con- 
tinue in school; and in the second, it gives to that large 
number of pupils who will leave school before the end of the 
sixth grade — which is at least half of all the boys and girls 
in the schools of the country — some acquaintance with the 
leading men and prominent events of American history. 

It is without doubt a great mistake to allow half of the 
pupils to go out from our public schools with almost no 
knowledge of the moral and material forces which have 
made this nation what it is to-day. It is an injustice to the 
young people themselves; it is also an injury to their coun- 
try, the vigor of whose life will depend much upon their 
intelligent and patriotic support. 

It is confidently hoped that the fine illustrations and 
the attractive typographical features of the book will help 
to bring vividly before the mind of the child the events 
narrated in the text. 

Another aid in making the stories vivid will, it is in- 
tended, be found in "Some Things to Think About." These 
and many similar questions, which the teacher can easily 
frame to 'fit the needs of her class, will help the pupil to 
make real the life of days gone by as well as to connect it 
with the present time and with his own life. 

In conclusion, I wish to acknowledge my deep obliga- 
tions to Mr. Forrest Morgan, of the Watkinson Library, 
Hartford, and to Miss Elizabeth P. Peck, of the Hartford 
Public High School, both of whom have read the manu- 
script and have made many valuable criticisms and sug- 
gestions. 

Wilbur F. Gordy. 

Hartford, Conn., 
August 20, 1917. 






CONTENTS 

EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Christopher Columbus 1 

II. John Cabot and Americus Vespucius 15 

III. The American Indians 18 

IV. Vasco Nunez Balboa and Ferdinand Magellan .... 30 
V. Hernando Cortez 36 

VI. Francisco Pizarro 42 

VII. Juan Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto 48 

VIII. Jacques C artier 55 

EX. Sir Francis Drake 58 

X. Sir Walter Raleigh 63 

XI. Stories of Early Virginia 71 

XII. Stories of Early Maryland 87 

XIII. Stories of Early New England 93 

XIV. Stories of Early New York 116 

XV. Stories of Early Pennsylvania 130 

XVI. Stories of Early Georgia 136 

XVII. Life in Early Colonial Days 140 

XVIII. Father Marquette 158 

ix 



x CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XIX. Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle 164 

XX. Stories of the New Englanders and the Indians . . 172 

XXI. Stories of the English and the French 17S 

XXII. The English and the French in North America. . 185 

LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

XXIII. Patrick Henry 205 

XXIV. Samuel Adams 219 

XXV. The War Begins Near Boston 234 

XXVI. George Washington in the Revolution 249 

XXVII. Nathanael Greene and Other Heroes in the South 277 

XXVIII. John Paul Jones 291 

XXIX. Daniel Boone 298 

XXX. James Robertson 311 

XXXI. John Sevier 32< : 

XXXII. George Rogers Clark 336 

XX XIII. The New Republic 355 

XXXIV. Increasing the Size of the New Republic 36? 

XXXV. Internal Improvements 391 

XXXVI. The Republic Grows Larger 412 

XXXVII. Three Great Statesmen 429 

XXXVIII. The Civil War 447 

XXXIX. Four Great Industries 485 

Index 497 



ILLUSTKATIONS 

The Santa Maria, the Little Flagship of Columbus Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Christopher Columbus 3 

He was fond of playing on the wharves 4 

The Fleet of Christopher Columbus S 

Columbus in Chains 13 

John Cabot in London ...... 16 

Americus Vespueius 17 

In each wigwam lived a whole family 19 

An Iroquois "Long House" 20 

Sometimes these strange pueblos were perched high on the cliffs ... 21 

Fish Spear, Arrow for War, Hunting Arrow, Shoshonee Bow 23 

A Pappoose Case 23 

An Indian Pipe 24 

A light bark canoe, easily carried 25 

Snow-shoes 2G 

Balboa 31 

Ferdinand Magellan 32 

The Strait of Magellan 3 

Hernando Cortez 37 

Horses they had never seen 38 

Meeting of Cortez and Montezuma 40 

A Street in Cuzco 4o 

The people of Peru thought the horses were strange monsters 44 

The Inca Making the Mark Upon the Wall 45 

The Death of Pizarro 46 

xi 



o 



xii ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Searching for the Fountain of Youth 49 

Hernando De Soto 50 

De Soto Reaching the Mississippi River 52 

Burial of De Soto 53 

Jacques Cartier 55 

Cartier Arriving at Montreal 56 

Young Drake Watching Vessels Put Out to Sea 59 

Drake Sees the Pacific Ocean for the First Time 60 

A[Spanish Galleon of the Sixteenth Century 61 

An English Ship of the Fifteenth Century 62 

Raleigh Spreading His Cloak Before Queen Elizabeth 64 

Sir Walter Raleigh 65 

Queen Elizabeth 66 

Finding the Name Carved Upon the Tree 68 

John Smith 74 

Pocahontas 77 

Landing of Lord Delaware 79 

Jamestown, 1622 82 

A Virginia Planter 83 

Vessel at Wharf Receiving Tobacco 84 

George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) 88 

Friendly Indians, crowding the banks, gazed in wonder at the huge ships 89 

Departure of Pilgrim Fathers from Delft Haven, 1620 95 

Miles Standish in Armor 97 

William Bradford's Chair 98 

Pilgrim Exiles 99 

The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor 102 

Plymouth in the Early Days 105 



ILLUSTRATIONS xiii 

PAGE 

They built around Plymouth a palisade of posts 107 

John Winthrop 108 

Puritans on Horseback 109 

Roger Williams Fleeing Through the Woods Ill 

Thomas Hooker and Party on the Way to Connecticut 113 

Henry Hudson 117 

Dutch Trading with the Indians 119 

Indian Fur Trader 120 

Champlain killed one or two of their number 121 

APatroon 123 

New Amsterdam in 1673 124-125 

A Dutch Manor 126 

Peter Stuyvesant 127 

William Penn at the Age of 22 (1666) 131 

Cottage of William Penn, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia 133 

William Penn's Treaty with the Indians 134 

James Oglethorpe 137 

He noticed many mulberry-trees 138 

A Block-House 140 

One of the children runs to a neighbor and brings home a burning stick 142 

The Spinning- Wheel 144 

Their school-house is a rude log hut 145 

The big fireplace with its high-backed seat on either side 146 

The rich planters live in houses called mansions 150 

Old Log Cabin for the Slaves 151 

Tables, Chairs, Four-posted Bedstead 152 

Early Dutch Windmill 154 

The Great Chest of Drawers Set on Casters 155 



xiv ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Statue of James Marquette 159 

The priest, in his long black robe, in one canoe, and Joliet in the other . 160 

Launching the Griffin 165 

For sixty-five days this painful journey lasted 166 

Here, in the name of the French king, he planted a column and a cross 16S 

One morning one of them shot him dead 170 

They sailed down the Connecticut River , . 173 

This was a village of wigwams, surrounded by a palisade 17-1 

King Philip 175 

Indians are stealing quietly upon the fort, stopping now and then to listen 179 

They forced the mother and nurse to march with them toward Canada ISO 

Old House at Deerfield, Mass 182 

The two were together much of the time 1S6 

When he needed some one to survey land, he chose Washington for the 

task l!S7 

Benjamin Franklin 192 

Braddock's Toilsome March Through the Wilderness 195 

The Arcadians were torn from their homes and carried into strange lands 197 

James Wolfe 199 

An English Soldier of Wolfe's Army . 199 

Montcalm 200 

Each man had to pull himself up by clinging to the roots and bushes . 201 

Pioneers on the Overland Route, Westward Facing page 205 

George III 206 

Patrick Henry 209 

Patrick Henry Delivering His Speech in the Virginia House of Burgesses 211 

William Pitt 213 

St. John's Church, Richmond 215 



ILLUSTRATIONS. xv 

PAGE 

Samuel Adams 219 

Patriots in New York Destroying Stamps Intended for Use in Connecti- 

cut 221 

Faneuil Hall, Boston 226 

Old South Church, Boston . 227 

The "Boston Tea Party" 228 

Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia 231 

John Hancock 234 

John Hancock's Home, Boston 235 

A Minuteman 236 

Old North Church 237 

Paul Revere's Ride 23S 

Monument on Lexington Common Marking the Line of the Minutemen 240 

Concord Bridge .- 243 

President Langdon, the President of Harvard College, Praying for the 
Bunker Hill Entrenching Party on Cambridge Common Just Before 

Their Departure 245 

Prescott at Bunker Hill 246 

Bunker Hill Monument 247 

George Washington 249 

Washington, Henry, and Pendleton on the Way to Congress at Phila- 
delphia 251 

The Washington Elm at Cambridge, Under Which Washington Took 

Command of the Army 252 

Sir William Howe 255 

Thomas Jefferson Looking Over the Rough Draught of the Declaration 

of Independence 256 

The Retreat from Long Island 258 

Nathan Hale 261 



xvi • ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

British and Hessian Soldiers ' 265 

Powder-Horn, Bullet-Flask, and Buckshot-Pouch Used in the Revo- 
lution 267 

General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates 269 

Marquis de Lafayette 271 

Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin 272 

Winter at Valley Forge 274 

Nathanael Greene 277 

The Meeting of Greene and Gates Upon Greene's Assuming Command 281 

Daniel Morgan 283 

Francis Marion 2S6 

Marion Surprising a British Wagon-Train 287 

John Paul Jones 291 

Battle Between the Ranger and. the Drake 293 

The Fight Between the Ben Homme Richard and the Serapis .... 296 

Daniel Boone 299 

Boone's Escape from the Indians 301 

Boonesborough 305 

Boone Throwing Tobacco Into the Eyes of the Indians Who Had Come 

to Capture Him 309 

James Robertson 311 

Living-room of the Early Settler 315 

Grinding Indian Corn 316 

A Kentucky Pioneer's Cabin 319 

John Sevier 326 

A Barbecue of 1780 331 

Battle of King's Mountain 332 

George Rogers Clark 336 



ILLUSTRATIONS xvii 

PAGE 

Clark on the Way to Kaskaskia 341 

Clark's Surprise at Kaskaskia 342 

Wampum Peace Belt 346 

Clark's Advance on Vincennes 350 

George Washington 355 

Washington's Home, Mount Vernon 356 

Tribute Rendered to Washington at Trenton 357 

Washington Taking the Oath of Office as First President at Federal 

Hall, New York City 359 

Washington's Inaugural Chair 360 

Eli Whitney 362 

Whitney's Cotton-Gin 363 

A Colonial Planter 365 

A Slave Settlement 363 

Thomas Jefferson 368 

"Monticello," the Home of Jefferson 369 

A Rice-Field in Louisiana 372 

A Flatboat on the Ohio River 375 

House in New Orleans Where Louis Philippe Stopped in 1798 377 

A Public Building in New Orleans Built in 1794 378 

Meriwether Lewis 380 

William Clark 380 

Buffalo Hunted by Indians 381 

The Lewis and Clark Expedition Working Its Way Westward .... 383 

Andrew Jackson 385 

"The Hermitage," the Home of Andrew Jackson 387 

Fighting the Seminole Indians under Jackson 388 

Robert Fulton 392 



xviii ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Fulton's First Experiment with Paddle-Wheels 393 

The Clermont in Duplicate at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 1909 . 396 

The Opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 398 

The Ceremony Called "The Marriage of the Waters" 399 

Erie Canal on the Right and Aqueduct Over the Mohawk River, New 

York 401 

"Tom Thumb."' Peter Cooper's Locomotive Working Model, First 

Used Near Baltimore in 1830 402 

Railroad Poster of 1S43 403 

Comparison of "De Witt Clinton" Locomotive and Train, the First 
Train Operated in New York, with a Modern Locomotive of the 

New York Central Railroad 404 

S. F. B. Morse . . 406 

The First Telegraph Instrument 407 

Modern Telegraph Office .- 408 

The Operator of the modern railroad is dependent upon the telegraph . 409 

Sam Houston 412 

Flag of the Republic of Texas 415 

David Crockett 416 

The Fight at the Alamo 417 

John C. Fremont 419 

Fremont's Expedition Crossing the Rocky Mountains 420 

Kit Carson 421 

Sutter's Mill 425 

Placer-Mining in the Days of the California Gold Rush 427 

John C. Calhoun 429 

Calhoun's Office and Library 430 

Henry Clay 432 

The Birthplace of Henry Clay, near Richmond 432 



ILLUSTRATIONS xix 

PAGE 

The Schoolhouse in "The Slashes" 433 

Daniel Webster 436 

The Home of Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Mass . . . 440 

Henry Clay Addressing the United States Senate in 1850 443 

Abraham Lincoln 447 

Lincoln's Birthplace 448 

Lincoln Studying by Firelight 450 

Lincoln Splitting Rails 452 

Lincoln as a Boatman 453 

Lincoln Visiting Wounded Soldiers 457 

Robert E. Lee 459 

Lee's Home at Arlington, Va 460 

Jefferson Davis 461 

Thomas J. Jackson 462 

A Confederate Flag 462 

J. E. B. Stuart 463 

Confederate Soldiers 464 

Union Soldiers 466 

Ulysses S. Grant 467 

Grant's Birthplace, Point Pleasant, Ohio 468 

General and Mrs. Grant with Their Son at City Point, Va 470 

William Tecumseh Sherman 472 

Sherman's March to the Sea 473 

Philip H. Sheridan 476 

Sheridan Rallying His Troops 477 

The McLean House Where Lee Surrendered 470 

General Lee on His Horse, Traveller 4S2 

Cotton-Field in Blossom 486 



xx ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A Wheat-Field 488 

Grain-Elevators at Buffalo 489 

Cattle on the Western Plains . 491 

Iron Smelters 493 

Iron Ore Ready for Shipment 495 



MAPS 

PAGE 

The First Voyage of Columbus, and Places of Interest in Connection 

with His Later Voyages 10 

Routes Traversed by De Soto and De Leon 48 

Raleigh's Various Colonies 67 

Early Settlements in Virginia and Maryland 91 

Early Settlements in New England 114 

Early Settlements in New York and New Jersey 128 

Early Settlements in Georgia 138 

Map Showing Routes of Cartier, Champlain, and La Salle, also French 

and English Possessions at the Time of the Last French War ... 167 

The English Colonies and the French Claims in 1754 183 

The French in the Ohio Valley 191 

Quebec and Surroundings 202 

Boston and Vicinity 242 

The War in the Middle States 263 

The War in the South , 279 

Early Settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee • . . 313 

George Rogers Clark in the Northwest 340 

The United States in 1803, after the Louisiana Purchase (Colored) 

Facing page 376 

Jackson's Campaign 389 

Scene of Houston's Campaign 414 

Fremont's Western Explorations 423 

Map of the United States Showing First and Second Areas (Colored) 

Between pages 458-459 

Route of Sherman's March to the Sea 474 

The Country Around Washington and Richmond 480 

xx i 



STORIES OF 
EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

CHAPTER I 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

Over 800 years ago, long before it was known there 
was such a place as A-mer'i-ca, a war broke out between 
the peoples of western Eu'rope and those of western A'sia. 

The peoples of western Europe were followers of Christ, 
while those of western Asia were followers of Ma-hom'et. 
The Ma-hom'et-ans held the Holy Land where Christ had 
lived, and the Christians wished to get it back. 

This war was followed by others. For nearly 200 years 
they never wholly died down, but the hard fighting was at 
eight different times. The wars were called the Cru-sades', 
or Wars of the Cross, because the Christian soldiers wore 
crosses on their coats. 

Millions of men lost their lives in this dreadful struggle, 
but many lived to go back to their homes in Europe. They 
told wonderful tales of the strange lands where they had 
fought, and of the curious and beautiful things they had 
seen there. They told of beasts and birds, fruits and flowers, 
peoples, dress, houses, furniture, and customs that seemed 
very strange. 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



How do you suppose this made the people feel who had 
stayed at home? Of course, they also wanted to visit these 
lands, and many who had never been far from home began 
to travel to Asia. 

They had known nothing of the great world outside of 
the little place where they had grown up. Imagine how 
surprised they were to find that the people of the East 
understood many arts of which they themselves knew 
nothing. 

They found soft, fine silks and other rich cloths to wear, 
spices which made their food taste better, rugs to warm and 
soften the floors, and many of the comforts of life. 

Wishing to take some of these things back home, they 
traded for them things they themselves had made. This 
business of trading kept growing, as time went on. In 
Ven'ice and Gen'o-a there were merchants and sailors who 
took a large part in it. Look at your maps and see if you 
can tell why boys growing up in those cities should take to 
the sea. 

From these two cities great merchant fleets sailed out, 
and returned loaded with goods from the East. These goods 
had to be brought on the backs of camels, horses, and 
mules, all the way from Per'sia, In'di-a, and Chi'na, down 
to the ports where the ships were waiting for them. Pict- 
ure to yourself long lines of these beasts of burden as they 
wound along their way to the sea-coast. 

At one time there were three main routes by which the 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



caravans reached the sea. All were costly and full of danger, 
for it was the custom of the Turks to plunder the caravans 
or to force them to give up a part of their goods before they 
would let them go on. 

The most northern route led through the Black Sea by 
way of what is now southern Russia. But in 1453 the 
Turks captured Con-stan-ti-no'ple and cut off this route. 
This was a hard blow to Genoa, 
for that city had always used 
the northern route. 

But it was a blow felt by 
all Europe, for other nations 
had become eager for a share 
in the Eastern trade. It hap- 
pened, too, just when the desire 
for Eastern goods was growing 
veiy fast. 

For a long time men had 
been trying to find a way to 
reach India, China, and Japan by water, so as to escape 
the dangers by land. Now they felt that such a route 
must be found. 

Por'tu-gal and Spain were the two nations whose sailors 
went most to sea. So they took the lead in the search for 
this all-water route. 

Portugal set out to find it by sailing down the west coast 
of Africa. It was very slow work, but at last a brave sea 




Christopher Columbus. 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



captain of that country, Vas'co da Gam 'a, reached the 

most southern end of Africa. 

He called it the "Cape of Storms." You can guess wiry. 

But the King of Portugal said, " It shall be called the Cape 

of Good Hope." Can 
you think why he gave 
it that name? 

When Portugal 
had found her route 
by sailing south, Spain 
dared not sail over it 
herself for fear of 
trouble with Portugal. 
So she had to find an- 
other way. 

The man who 
showed her how was 
Chris'to-pher Co- 
lum'bus. He was not 
a Spaniard. Let us see 
how it came about 
that Spain was the 

count ly to send him out and get the glory for what he did. 
Columbus was born in Genoa. His father was a poor man, 

who earned his living by making wool ready for the spinners. 
We do not know much about the boy Christopher, but 

we can well believe that he was fond of playing on the 




He was fond of playing on the wharves. 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 5 

wharves near his home. Here he could see hundreds of 
vessels coming and going. We may be sure that he spent 
many hours watching their white sails. Most likely he 
was fond of the water and learned while he was quite young 
to swim and to sail boats. 

But he did not play all the time. He had work to do 
like other boys. He learned his father's trade, and he also 
went to school, where he learned reading, writing, arith- 
metic, geography, and map-drawing. All these were of 
great use in his later life. 

He must have heard older people talk a great deal about 
the loss of the Eastern trade after the Turks had shut up 
the Black Sea route, and about the need of finding a new 
route over the ocean. 

YEARS OF TRIAL FOR COLUMBUS 

Many years later, when he had become a grown-up man, 
he went to live in Lis'bon, which, you know, is the capital 
of Portugal. Here lived one of his brothers, and here, as 
in Genoa, lived many sailors. Here again he mast have 
heard much talk about finding a water route to India. 

Columbus listened earnestly to sailors' stories; he stud- 
ied maps and charts; he thought a great deal. 

It seemed to him that the earth must be round like a 
globe, instead of flat as many others supposed. He tried to 
get all the proofs he could of this. He also took many voy- 
ages himself. 



6 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

After many long years of study, he felt sure that he 
could get to India by sailing straight across the Atlantic 
Ocean. He would go right in the opposite direction from 
that in which India lay. "The way to the East is by the 
West," said he. 

If he should be able to reach India in this way, he would 
prove that the earth was round and would bring the wealth 
of the Indies to Europe. 

The more he thought about this great plan, the more he 
longed to carry it out. In fact, he thought of it by day and 
dreamed of it by night. 

But he was poor and he had few friends. How could 
he get money and help to make his great dream come true? 

At last he laid his plan before King John of Portugal. 
But the king would not promise to help him. 

Columbus then took his little son Diego (de-a'go) by 
the hand and started across the mountains to Spain. We 
may picture father and son hurrying along the rough moun- 
tain roads. Columbus could hardly stop to see whether 
his little boy was tired, so eager was he to find some one 
to help him. 

When he came to a place near the town of Pa'los, he 
left Diego with an aunt, and set out alone in search of the 
king and queen, Fer'di-nand and Is'a-bel-la. 

At that time a war was going on in the south of Spain 
between the Spaniards and the Moors. So Columbus had 
a hard time getting them to listen to him. 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 7 

At last they gave him a hearing. They had asked a 
number of wise men to be present. Some of them laughed 
at Columbus for saying that the earth was round like a 
globe. Others said, "We believe he is right." 

But the king and queen would not help him. Sick at 
heart, therefore, he planned to leave Spain and go to 
France. 

Up to this time he had failed. He was poor and had 
few friends. Men said, "He is a crazy dreamer." When he 
walked through a village with sad face and threadbare 
clothing, the boys laughed at him. 

But Columbus did not give up hope. He had faith in 
his plans, and believed that sometime he should succeed. 
He started bravely, therefore, for the court of France, 
taking Diego with him. 

At that time, we are told, Columbus was a fine-looking 
man. He was tall and strong, and had a noble face with 
keen blue eyes. His white hair fell in long wavy locks about 
his shoulders. Although his clothing was plain and per- 
haps shabby, there was something in his manner that made 
people like him. 

After father and son had walked about a mile and a half, 
they stopped at the Convent of St. Mary. Perhaps they 
wanted some bread and water. Just then the good Pri'or 
of the Convent was passing by and the two men began to 
talk together. 

Columbus reasoned well about his plans. The Prior 



8 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



listened closety, and then wrote at once to Queen Isabella, 
who knew him and believed in him as a wise and good man. 
This letter proved a help to Columbus, for a little 
later the queen told him she would furnish him with men 
and vessels for the voyage. 




Santa Maria Pinta Nina 

The Fleet of Christopher Columbus. 



But even with the queen's help, he still had many trials 
before him. The ocean was unknown. The sailors were 
afraid to go out far from land upon the deep, dark waters. 

In the course of time, however, three small vessels with 
one hundred and twenty men were ready to start. The 
vessels were not larger than many of our fishing-boats 
to-day. The largest was the San'ta Ma-ri'a and was 
commanded by Columbus. It was about ninety feet long, 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 9 

and was the only vessel of the fleet which had a com- 
plete deck. 

A half hour before sunrise on Friday morning, August 3 ; 
1492, the little fleet sailed out of the port of Palos. It was 
a sorrowful time for the poor sailors and their friends. All 
believed that the vessels would be lost, and that the sailors 
would never again see home and family. 

When, about a month later, they left the Canary Islands 
and the furthest land known to them faded from sight, the 
sailors cried like children. 

Fresh worries lay before them. At the end of a week 
the compass needle no longer pointed to the North Star. 
Of course, the poor sailors were in great fear. 

A few days later the fleet entered a vast stretch of sea- 
weed. Again the sailors were much troubled. They feared 
that the vessels would stick fast in the grass, or run upon 
rocks lying just below the surface of the water. But when 
the wind blew up a little stronger, the vessels passed on in 
safety. 

Later on they entered the belt of trade-winds, which 
blew them steadily westward. They said: "We are lost! 
We can never see our friends again!" They begged Colum- 
bus to turn about and steer for home. 

He refused. They became angry, called him crazy, 
and even wished to kill him. One of them said: "Let 
us push him overboard some night when he is looking 
at the stars." 



10 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Columbus knew his life was in danger, but he would not 
give up. He still had faith and hope. The greater the dan- 
ger, the more firmly he set himself to meet it with an iron 
will and a high purpose. 

At last, on October 11, signs of land such as birds and 
broken bits of trees appeared. That night no one slept. 






COLUMBUS 

TIRST VOYAGE, 
1492-S 





GULF OF \j .-, ^V / _ Columbus jZ' 

mbxico jf »V>r — •5 J=r_ / 

~^>>^ •**' /Domingo 






PACIFIC™ «»<B TRINIDAD l. 

o cjsa x ""-<s w sou t n 




The First Voyage of Columbus, and Places of Interest in Connection 
with His Later Voyages. 

Every one was straining his eyes to catch the first glimpse 
of the distant shore. 

About ten o'clock in the evening Columbus himself saw 
a moving light in the distance. It looked like a torch in 
the hand of a man who was running along the shore. 

COLUMBUS AND THE NEW WORLD 

Early in the morning little boats were lowered, and 
everybody went ashore. Columbus, dressed in a rich robe 
of bright scarlet, carried in his hand the royal flag of Spain. 
As soon as he reached the land, he fell on his knees. With 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 11 

tears in his eyes he kissed the earth and thanked God for 
the safe voyage. 

Columbus called the dark-skinned natives Indians, be- 
cause he thought he was in the East Indies. At first the 
Indians ran into the woods because they were afraid, but 
soon they came back, curious to learn about these strange 
visitors. 

They worshipped the white men, thinking they were 
beings from the sky. They believed the vessels were great 
birds, and that the sails were great white wings. 

Columbus called the island upon which he had landed 
San Salvador, which means Holy Saviour. 

Sailing on, he reached the coast of Cuba. 

Now he thought he was in Japan, and called the island 
Ci-pan'go (Japan); and he kept on the lookout for the 
cities of Asia. In them he expected to find the gold, spices, 
and jewels he was looking for. But he found no cities; 
and he found no gold, no jewels, and no spices. 

On Christmas morning he had a serious mishap. While 
it was still dark, one of his little vessels ran ashore on a 
sand-bar and was knocked to pieces by the waves. Another 
of his vessels had already deserted the fleet, so now he had 
but one left. 

On January 4, 1493, he sailed for Spain. After a very 
stormy voyage, on March 15 he entered the harbor of 
Palos. 

It was a joyful day for the people and they stopped all 



12 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

business to give a welcome to Columbus. His praise was 
now on every man's lips. 

Soon he went to Bar-ce-lo'na, where he was honored 
by a street parade. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella 
sent for him, and when he came into their presence they 
honored him by rising. As he knelt to kiss their hands, 
they commanded him to rise and sit with them as an equal. 

The idle dreamer had become a great man. Everybody 
was eager to share his honor and his fame. It was now 
easy to get the most powerful men in the country to join 
him on a second voyage. 

In September, 1493, he sailed with a fleet of seventeen 
vessels. This time he had with him 1,500 men, and many 
of them were from the best families in Spain. They meant 
to stay in the "Indies" long enough to become rich men, 
and go back to Spain to live as grandees. They expected 
to use gangs of the natives to dig gold for them. 

On reaching Hayti Columbus built a little town, and 
then started to explore the new countiy. But trouble met 
him on every hand. The Indians were not always friendly, 
and his own men were often unwilling to obey him. They 
had not come to do hard, rough work, but to make fortunes 
at once. 

At the end of three years, he sailed back to Spain. Dur- 
ing a long and trying voyage all the food on board was used 
up, so that he and his men almost starved. But at last he 
reached home. 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



13 



A few years later he sailed on a third voyage. More 
troubles were waiting for him. When he reached the little 
town which he had built in 
Hayti, he found things were 
going badly. The Indians 
were unfriendly, and serious 
quarrels had broken out 
among the settlers them- 
selves. 

For two long years Co- 
lumbus tried to make things 
right, but he could not. At 
length an officer was sent 
from Spain to see how things 
were going in the colony. 
He unjustly put Columbus 
in chains and sent him back 
to Spain. 

Queen Isabella sent for 
him to come to court, and 

he appeared before her still bound in chains. When she 
saw him she wept, and he also broke down and wept at 
her feet. 

Having been set free, a few years later he went on a 
fourth voyage. Again he met trouble after trouble. First, 
his ship was wrecked, and then he spent a long, painful 
year of hardship and miseiy. 




Columbus in Chains. 



14 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

At last he sailed back to Spain, where he arrived only a 
short time before Queen Isabella died. He lived only 
eighteen months after this, for he was broken in health and 
felt that he had little to live for. 

On May 20, 1506, he died of a broken heart. Up to the 
very last he thought he had sailed only to the Indies. He 
never knew that he had discovered a new world. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did Spain and Portugal wish to find an all -water route to 

India, China, and Japan? 

2. How did Columbus come to believe that he could reach the Far 

East by sailing west across the Atlantic? 

3. Imagine yourself with him on his first voyage and tell all you can 

about his trials. 

4. What land did he think he had reached? What was his great 

work? 

5. What do you admire in Columbus? 



CHAPTER II 
JOHN CABOT AND AMERICUS VESPUCIUS 

JOHN CABOT 

At the time when Columbus sailed on his first voyage, 
another sea-captain, born in the very same city as Columbus, 
was planning to sail westward in search of the In'dies. This 
was John Cab'ot. He was born in Genoa, had his home later 
in Venice, but was now living in Bristol, England. 

He had travelled much, and had spent some time 
in western Asia, where he had seen a caravan loaded with 
spices. After he returned to England, he asked King 
Henry ATI if he might go on a voyage of discovery, and the 
king gave his consent. 

But it was not until May, 1497, nearly five years after 
Columbus had first sailed, that Cabot put out to sea with 
only one small vessel and eighteen men. He sailed straight 
west and landed on the coast of Lab'ra-dor. 

He was the first sea-captain to reach the mainland of 
North America, for Columbus did not do this until his 
second voyage in 1498. 

On Cabot's return to England he was called the " Great 

Admiral." He was treated with much honor. The simple 

sea-captain now dressed in fine clothing like the noted men 

of those days. 

15 



16 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



The following year, with six vessels, he made another 
voyage. Where he went, what he found, whether he ever 
came back, we do not know. But it is rather likely that he 




John Cabot in London. 



went to what is now Flor'i-da. On the strength of what 
England declared that he had discovered, she at a later 
time claimed all of North America. 



AMERICUS VESPUCIUS 

From what you have learned, you will probably think 
that the New World should have been named after Colum- 
bus. The reason why it was not can be told in a few words. 

After Columbus had led the way, many other explorers 
sailed for the West. Among them was A-mer'i-cus Ves- 
pu'cius. 

How many voyages he made, and just when he made 



JOHN CABOT AND AMERICUS VESPUCIUS 



17 



them, we do not know. But it is thought that he sailed 
along the coast of Bra-zil', or perhaps along a part of the 
eastern coast of South America 
lying south of Brazil. He wrote 
letters also in which he told 
what he had seen in his voyag- 
ing, and what he said in these 
letters was the first printed ac- 
count of the mainland of the 
New World. 

The good accounts that Ves- 
pucius wrote of what he had 
seen were read by German geog- 
raphers. They liked the ac- 
counts because they were so in- 
teresting. One of these geographers also supposed that 
Americus Vespucius was the first man to discover the New 
World. So the land that Columbus discovered came to be 
called America. 




Americus "Vespucius. 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Who was John Cabot? What was he the first man to do? 

2. Why was the New World called America? 



CHAPTER III 
THE AMERICAN INDIANS 

As we have learned, Columbus called the people of the 
New World Indians. They did not live close together like 
the people in Europe, but were scattered all over the coun- 
try. Yet many of them were related, so that really they 
formed five great groups, or families. 

Those which we must know about are the three living 
east of the Mis'sis-sip'pi River. These were the South'ern 
Indians, the I'ro-quois, and the Al-gon'quins. Let us take 
our maps and see where each of these three lived. 

The Southern Indians lived, mostly, in a belt lying be- 
tween the Ten-nes-see' River on the north and the Gulf of 
Mex'i-co on the south. This belt extended from the Mis- 
sissippi River clear to the Atlantic Ocean. 

The Iroquois Indians were made up mainly of the five 
tribes, or Five Nations, as they were called, of central New 
York. 

Leaving out the Iroquois, all the other tribes spreading 
east from the Mississippi and north from the Tennessee 
clear up into Can'a-da were called Algonquins. 

Although the Indians of the different tribes did not 

look alike, we may say that, as a rule, they had straight 

18 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 



19 



black hair, small black eyes, high cheek-bones, and copper- 
colored skins. 

The women wore their hair long. The men in most of 




In each wigwam lived a whole family. 

the tribes shaved their heads, except at the top, where they 
left a scalp-lock. 

The dress of the Indian was made largely of the skins of 
wild animals. Instead of leather shoes, like ours, he wore 
moccasins made of skins. 



20 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 







An Iroquois "Long House." 



The pieces of the moccasin were sewed together, although 
the Indians had no needles and thread. What do you think 
they used? Their needles were small sharp fish-bones, 

and their thread 
the tough sinews 
of deer or some 
other wild ani- 
mal. 

Many of the 
Indians lived in 
little villages. 
In some tribes 
these villages 
were made up of wigwams, in each of which, small as it 
was, lived a whole family. 

The wigwams were tents, covered inside and out by 
skins, mats, or bark. Sometimes a bear's hide was used 
for a door. There was no floor except the bare earth. 
Here, in the centre of the wigwam, the fire was built, and 
the smoke was let out through a hole at the top. There 
was no carpet, but soft skins kept the feet out of the mud 
or off the frozen ground. 

Some tribes had other kinds of dwellings than wigwams. 
The Iroquois built huge log cabins called "long houses," 
with side rooms screened off by skins. Some of these houses 
were one hundred feet long, and as many as twenty families 
with all their relatives could live in one of them. 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 



21 



The Indians of the Southwest had the strangest dwell- 
ings of all. They were made of a-do'be, or clay baked in 
the sun, and were called pueb'los. The chief ones were 
many times larger than the "long houses/' and the people 
of a good-sized town of to-day could live in a single pueblo. 




Sometimes these strange pueblos were perched high on the cliffs. 

There was one large enough to furnish homes for five thou- 
sand persons. Indeed, each pueblo was a kind of apart- 
ment house, town, and fort all in one. 

Some were two stories high, some were four, and others 
as high as seven stories. Each story was set back a little 
from the one below it, so that the roof of the first be- 



22 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

came the sidewalk, or street, of the second, and so on to 
the top. 

Nobody ever called out, " Don't slam the door, " to the 
Indian boys and girls who lived in these pueblos. For 
everyone had to climb to the top of his home on a ladder 
and let himself in through an opening in the roof. Can you 
guess why they chose such a strange way of getting into 
their houses? It was because they thought that if the en- 
trance was on top, it would not be easy for an enemy to 
surprise them. 

Sometimes these strange pueblos were perched high on 
the cliffs to make it still harder for enemies to reach them. 
The people living in these strongholds were called cliff- 
dwellers. They built on high places because they were 
weak and afraid of their enemies. 

The strong tribes always built their pueblos close to a 
river or lake. In this fish could be caught, and in the 
gardens nearby the squaws could till the soil. 

THE INDIAN BRAVE AND THE SQUAW 

You may sometimes hear it said that the squaw had to 
do all the work. People who say this believe that the 
Indian brave was lazy, and wished to make a slave of his 
wife. 

But this is not true, for the man had his own work just 
as the woman had hers. Hunting and fishing were his 
share; and any tribe whose men did not keep themselves 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 



23 




1 

2 




Shoshonee Bow. 



trained for fighting and on the watch for foes would soon 
have been killed or made slaves of by some other tribe. 

The Indian brave was quite willing to make arrows, 
bows, canoes, and 
other tools which 
he might need. But 

he lelt tOO prOUQ tO x Hunting Arrow. 2. Arrow for War. 3. Fish Spear. 

do what he thought 

was a squaw's work. 
The squaw kept 

busy about the home. She cooked the food and made the 

clothing. She tended the patches of corn, melons, beans, 

squashes, and pumpkins. In doing 
this she scratched the ground with 
simple tools like pointed sticks, or 
stone spades, or hoes. She also 
gathered wood, made fires, and 
set up the wigwam. 

But the squaw's first duty was 
to care for the children. She had 
a queer-looking cradle, or cradle- 
board, for her little pap-poose', 
as she called her child, and used 
it till the baby was two years old 
or so. 

The cradle was some two feet 
long, and nearly a foot wide. It 




24 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



was covered with skins, the outer one forming a pocket 
which was lined with grass and moss, making a soft little 
nest where the baby snuggled. She carried it on her back 
when walking. But when at work she stood it against a 
bush or rock or hung it on a low bough. . 

Perhaps you have heard your mother sing to the baby: 

" Rock-a-bye baby upon the tree-top, 
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock; 
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall — 
Down comes rock-a-bye baby and all." 

This song came from the Indian mother's habit of hang- 
ing the cradle on a tree. 

The Indian boy did not go to a school like yours. His 
lessons were learned out of doors, and his books were the 

woods and the lakes and 
the running streams 
about him. By watch- 
ing, and listening, and 
trying, he learned to 
swim like a fish, to dive 
like a beaver, to climb 
trees like a squirrel, and 
to run like a deer. 
As soon as he could hold a bow and arrow, he was taught 
to shoot at a mark and to throw the tomahawk. 

He had also to learn how to set traps for wild animals 




An Indian Pipe. 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 



25 



and how to hunt them. He learned to make the calls of 
wild birds and beasts. For if he could howl like a wolf, 
quack like a duck, and gobble like a turkey, he could get 

nearer his game 
when on the hunt. 
He had to learn 
how to track his 
enemies and how 
to conceal his own 
tracks when he 
wished to get 
away from his 
enemies. He had 
to become a brave, 
strong warrior, 
and be able to kill 
his foe and pre- 
vent his foe from 
killing him. 

For, after all, 
the most impor- 
tant part of his work when he grew up was to fight the 
enemies of his tribe. If he did not make war upon them, 
they would think he was weak and would attack him. So 
whether he wished or not, he had to fight. 

Most boys like to "play Indian" and surprise those 
who they pretend are enemies. The real Indians were very 




A light bark canoe, easily carried 




26 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

fond of this kind of fighting by ambush. They would hide 
in the woods and then suddenly rush out upon their foes 
as they passed or shoot them down. 

They learned to keep so perfectly still and so com- 
pletely out of sight behind the trees or in the bushes and 
tall grass that the enemy would not suspect there was 
anybody near. Thus man}' of the enemy would be killed or 
captured while they themselves lost very few men. 

On returning home, the war party would often bring 
back captives. Some of 
these they might adopt 
into their own tribe, for 
often their numbers be- 

Snow-shoes. 

came much thinned by 

war. But sometimes the captives were tortured and put 
to death. Does it not seem strange that any one could 
enjoy seeing people suffer? 

The Indian's way of travelling from place to place was 
very simple. When he was looking for fresh hunting-grounds 
or new streams or lakes for fishing, or when he was with a 
war party, as a rule he went on foot. Sometimes he took 
a forest path or trail, but it was much easier to travel by 
water. Then he found his light bark canoe very useful. 
Two men could easily carry it, and even one could carry 
it alone over his shoulder. 

Its framework was strips of wood, fastened together by 
tough roots or sinews. This was covered by pieces of bark 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 27 

sewed together. The whole was made water-tight by fill- 
ing the seams with pitch and grease. Sometimes such a 
canoe would hold fifty people. 

In the winter, when the lakes and rivers were frozen, 
the canoe was no longer useful. Then, if the Indian brave 
wished to go far, he used his snow-shoes. These were two 
or three feet long and a foot or more wide to keep him 
from sinking into the snow. They were light and strong, 
often being made of a maple-wood frame, filled in with a 
network of deer's hide or sinews. 

THE INDIANS AND THE WHITES 

Before the white men came, most Indians lived very 
simple lives as hunters, fishermen, and warriors. They had 
dogs, but there w y ere no native animals which they could 
tame to give them milk like our cows, or to draw their loads 
like our oxen and mules, or to carrv them like our horses. 

The Indians were at first very much afraid of horses, 
but afterward used them with much skill in making war 
upon other tribes and upon the white man. 

Before the white man came, the Indian had never seen 
a sword, a gun, an iron axe, nor a knife made of metal. 
But he soon learned how to use all these. They made life 
much easier for him. For a wooden bow, a stone tomahawk 
or hatchet, or an arrow tipped with bone or stone killed 
fewer animals and got him much less food than guns and 
sharp iron tools. 



28 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

You can see, then, that the coming of the white man 
greatly changed the red man's life. 

But the Indian also changed the life of the white man. 
For when the early settler went out into the woods to live, 
he found it best to live much as the Indians did. 

He had to learn how to track his foe, and how to con- 
ceal his own trail through the forest. He even dressed 
like the Indian. He lived in simple houses like the "long 
houses 7 ' of the Iroquois, only smaller. He ate such food 
as the Indians were likely to find in the forest, and like them, 
he many times suffered for want of food. 

Let us not forget, too, that more than once when food 
was scarce for all, the hungry settlers were kept from 
starving by the food which friendly Indians shared with 
them. 

Among the strange things which were a part of the life 
and work of the Indians are the mounds which they built. 
Many thousands of these have been found in O-hi'o and 
other states of our country. They were of many shapes, 
some being large and some small. 

Thousands of them have been opened, and many relics 
found in them. Among these are knives and trinkets, 
arrow-heads and spades, stone axes and hammers, tools for 
spinning and weaving, and also water-jugs, kettles, pipes, 
and urns. 

At one time it was thought that the Mound Build'ers 
were a people who were far more skilful than the American 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 29 

Indians. But the mounds themselves, with their relics, 
leave no doubt now that they were the work of Indian 
tribes. In fact, we know that some of these mounds were 
built by the Cherokee Indians, after the white people came 
to America. 

So we think that probably all the Mound Builders were 
just American Indians, like the other tribes which the early 
settlers found when they came to the New World. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Imagine yourself in an Indian wigwam, and describe what you see. 

What was the "long house"? the pueblo? Who were the 
cliff-dwellers? 

2. What was the work of the Indian brave? of the squaw? 

3. Imagine yourself an Indian boy living in a wigwam, and tell where 

you learn your lessons and the things you must learn to do. 

4. Tell all you can about the bark canoe and the snow-shoe and their 

use by the Indians. 

5. How did the white man change the life of the Indian, and how did 

the Indian change the white man's life? 






CHAPTER IV 
VASCO NUNEZ BALBOA AND FERDINAND MAGELLAN 

BALBOA 

The Indians, as you now very well know, were not in 
the least like the people of India. Their lives were simple, 
and they had very few things to use or to enjoy. Colum- 
bus and those who followed him found none of the spices, 
jewels, and precious stuffs which they were seeking. 

But they did find rich mines of gold and silver, and new 
fruits and plants. They could also make the natives work 
for them as slaves to dig ore or till the soil. So they kept 
coming over to seek their fortunes as mine-owners or 
planters. Many of them settled on the Isth'mus of Pan- 
a-ma'. 

Among them was Bal-bo'a. He had heard from an 
Indian chief that beyond the mountains was a great sea 
and far to the south a country rich in gold. As soon as he 
could get ready, he started out in search of both, taking 
with him about two hundred Spaniards and several hundred 
Indians. This was in September, 1513. 

On his way across the isthmus one morning early he 

climbed the mountains. At the top he stopped and gazed, 

for stretching before him far away to the south lay a vast 

30 



BALBOA AND MAGELLAN 



ol 



body of water. He had made a 
great discovery, for he was the first 
white man to behold the Pacific 
Ocean. 

But the mountains were so thick 
with tangled underbrush and the 
journey was so hard that it took 
him and his men four days longer 
to reach the coast. Then ; with a 
sword in one hand and a flag in 
the other, he walked into the rising 
tide of the new-found ocean, and 
took possession of it in the name 
of the King and Queen of Spain. 
He named it the South Sea, but 
you know it as the Pacific Ocean. 

Balboa had done more than dis- 
cover the Pacific, however. He had 
led the way in finding out that the land which Columbus 
discovered was not Asia at all. It was a New World. 




Balboa. 



MAGELLAN 

But men did not yet know whether they could reach 
the land of silks and spices by sailing west. The honor of 
making sure of this belongs to Fer'di-nand Ma-gel'lan. 

He was a Portuguese sea-captain. While a young man, 
he went to Lisbon just as Columbus had done. There he 



32 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



heard much talk about the great voyages in search of the 1 
Far East. One of these had been made by Vasco da Gama, , 
who, you remember, in 1497 sailed around the Cape of' 
Good Hope to India. 

For several years Magellan himself had been going to> 
India by that route, but it took too long. So, like Columbus, , 
he studied maps and charts to discover a shorter one. He i 

was sure that, if he could find 
a passage through America,, 
this route would be shorter. . 
Of course he had no proper 
map of America, for it was 
still almost an unknown land. 
But he could sail into every 
bay or river till he found one 
which went clear through. 

The king of his country' 
refused to aid him. So, like 
Columbus, he turned to Spain. That country was so glad! 
it had helped Columbus that it dared to take up this new 
plan. It gave him a fleet of five old vessels and two 
hundred and eighty men. With these in September, 1519, 
Magellan put out to sea. 

Many dangers awaited him. He had to face heavy i 
storms, the fear that food and water would not hold out, 
and angry sailors, who were only too ready to do him harm 
and make the voyage fail in order to get back home. 




Ferdinand Magellan. 



! 



BALBOA AND MAGELLAN 



33 



Not until six months after leaving Spain did he find a 
well sheltered harbor. There he cast anchor, and there for 
the first time his men enjoyed a meal of fresh fish in place 
of salt junk. 

But they were still unhappy, for they had little bread 
and wine left and no hope of getting more. They begged 




The Strait of Magellan. 

Magellan to turn back, but he would not. Then three of 
his captains plotted to kill him. But he was more than a 
match for them all, and the ships sailed forward. Soon one 
of them was wrecked, but Magellan still pushed on. 

At length the fleet entered a new passage. On every 
side were great mountains. It was what we now call the 
Strait of Magellan at the end of South America. Again 
the sailors begged to return. " I will go on," said Magellan, 
if we have to eat the leather off the ship's yards." When, 



it 



3-4 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

a little later, he passed through the strait and beheld the 
ocean, he wept for joy. 

He had only three ships left, but still he headed west- 
ward. Then began a terrible voyage across Balboa's South 
Sea, which Magellan now called the Pacific because it 
seemed so peaceful. 

But though the ocean was calm, not so the sailors. Ma- 
gellan's troubles were still thick about him. The worst 
were yet to come, — terrible hunger, disease, and death. 
Those who did not die grew sick at heart. They kept alive 
only by eating the skins and leather wound about the great 
ropes of the ship. 

At last they reached some islands, which are now part of 
the Philip-pines. But Death was waiting for the great cap- 
tain. In a fight with the natives the brave Magellan was slain. 

Those of his men who still lived pulled up the anchors 
and sailed for home. The voyage back was a long one. 
Not until September, 1522, nearly three years after setting 
out, did they arrive at the home port. Only one vessel, 
with eighteen starving sailors, got back to Spain. 

Such was the sad end of the most wonderful voyage that 
had ever been made. The glory of it has never faded. It 
meant a great deal to the men of those times, for there was 
no longer any doubt that the earth was round. Men now 
knew that the land discovered by Columbus was not the 
East Indies, but a New World. You know how they came 
to call it America. - 



BALBOA AND MAGELLAN 35 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Who was Balboa, and what did he do? 

2. What did Magellan wish to do? What did he discover? 

3. Imagine yourself sailing with him on his ship, and tell something 

of the dangers that were all about him. 

4. How did his men suffer? W T hy did some of them desire to kill him? 

5. Why do we call his voyage wonderful? What do you admire in 

Magellan? 



CHAPTER V 

HERNANDO CORTEZ 

Twelve years after Columbus made his first voyage to 
America, a young Spaniard of nineteen, Her-nan'do Cor'tez 
by name, sailed on one of the fleets bound for the New 
World. After a stormy voyage, he landed at Cuba, where 
he lived for some years. 

There was something about this man that made others 
admire him and look to him as a leader. So when a strong 
commander was needed to head an expedition to Mexico, 
he was chosen. 

He soon made his way to the eastern coast of that coun- 
try, reaching it in February, 1519. One of his first acts 
showed that he was bound to have his own way. Soon 
after landing, he gave the order, "Sink all the ships." This 
he did to prevent any homesick soldiers from going back to 
Cuba. 

He could not afford to lose one, for he had only 450 
men. Yet with this small army, six small cannon, and 
fifteen horses, he dared to face any danger he might meet. 

And he had not far to go before danger came. He soon 
met a strong tribe which was unfriendly. They at once 
showed hatred for the white men and fear of the horses. 

36 



HERNANDO CORTEZ 



37 



Later he found that all the natives, even the ruling 
people of Mexico, the Az'tecs, and their chief, Mon-te- 
zu'ma, felt the same way, and he soon learned why. 

It seems that they be- 
lieved a story that long ago a 
fair-skinned being, called the 
Sky God, had been driven 
out of the countiy by the 
God of Darkness. 

During the stay of the 
Sky God among the Mexi- 
cans he had taught them 
much. When he left them, 
he said, "Some day I shall 
return and become ruler of 
the country." The natives 
believed that Cortez was this Sky God, and Montezuma 
jealously thought, "Now I shall have to give up my power." 

So you see why all the Mexicans hated the white-skinned 
warriors with their coats of iron and their shining swords. 
Horses they had never seen before, and they thought that 
the Sky God had brought those monsters from another 
world. 

But the Mexicans were not people who gave up easily. 
So the first tribe he met soon gathered courage to fight. 

Their army and their strange dress excited the won- 
der of Cortez and his men. They wore quilted cotton 




Hernando Cortez. 



38 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



coats, leather shields, and helmets trimmed with feathers. 
Their weapons were long bows, arrows tipped with stone, 




Horses they had never seen before, and they thought that the Sky God 
had brought those monsters from another world. 



lances, slings, and heavy wooden swords with blades of 
sharpened stone. 

They fought two battles. In each Cortez won the vic- 
tory, and then the natives felt quite sure that he was more 



HERNANDO CORTEZ 39 

than a man and that it was no use to fight him. After 
they had made peace, they sent at least a thousand warriors 
to march with him on toward the City of Mexico, for this 
tribe had been enemies of the Aztecs. 

A great surprise awaited the Spaniards when they first 
looked upon the city. They were astonished at its beauty. 
It stood on an island in a lake. From the shores of the lake 
three great roadways of solid mason-work, from twenty to 
thirty feet wide and from four to five miles long, led to the 
centre of the city. Where these roads met, stood a huge 
temple. Around it were steps of stone, one hundred and 
fourteen in all, leading up to an altar on top. Up these 
long flights of steps, it was the custom for religious proces- 
sions to wind their way for worship. 

As the Spaniards marched along the great roadways, they 
passed beautiful floating islands, and within the city they 
found canals which were used as streets. Here, canoes, 
gliding to and fro, reminded them of Venice, and blossom- 
ing gardens on the flat roofs seemed but another part of 
a beautiful dream. 

As soon as they reached the city, Cortez and his men 
were given quarters in a large building near the great 
temple. 

To weaken the power of his enemies, Cortez invited 
Montezuma to visit him. Though treated as a guest, the 
chief was in reality a prisoner. The Aztecs were angry and 
eager for revenge, yet they feared to make war without the 



40 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



command of their king, and Montezuma dared not give the 
command for fear of instant death. 

But when at last during a religious festival the Spaniards 
attacked them and killed many of their leading men, the 




Meeting of Cortez and Montezuma. 



Aztecs could hold themselves in no longer. They fell upon 
the Spaniards with great fury, crowded the streets, and 
swarmed over the roofs as they tried to get at their hated 
foes. 

Cortez forced Montezuma to go out on the roof of his 
house, and order the Mexicans to stop the fighting. But, 



HERNANDO CORTEZ 41 

as Montezuma's brother had now been made their leader, 
they did not obey their former king. With a shower of 
stones that filled the air, they struck him down. A few 
days later he died of a broken heart. 

After a whole week of hard fighting, Cortez saw that he 
must leave the city. He tried to steal away at night, but 
the Mexicans were on the watch and attacked him by land 
and by water. 

The fighting in the dark was frightful. Cortez barely 
got away after a large part of his army had been killed or 
captured. The next morning he was so overcome with 
grief by the loss and suffering of his men that he sat down 
upon a rock and wept bitterly. 

But he did not give up the idea of taking the city. With 
another army he returned about six months later and again 
made an attack. After five months the city surrendered, 
but it was half in ruins. Cortez had conquered Mexico. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What was Cortez trying to do? 

2. Why were the Aztecs afraid of the Spaniards? Why did Monte- 

zuma fear Cortez? 

3. Imagine yourself as having been one of the Spaniards, and tell 

what you saw when you first looked upon the city of Mexico. 

4. Tell what happened to Montezuma after Cortez reached the city. 

5. What was the great work of Cortez? What do you think of him? 



CHAPTER VI 

FRANCISCO PIZARRO 

Not many years after Cortez conquered Mexico, another 
Spaniard, equally daring, went to Peru. This soldier, who 
made his name famous, was Fran-cis'co Pi-zar'ro. 

He had served under Balboa and had been with him 
when the Pacific Ocean was discovered. Having heard 
many stories of the gold and silver lying south of Panama, 
he was eager to go there. 

In 1531, he sailed with three vessels, three hundred and 
fifty men, and fifty horses. A few months later, he landed 
on the coast of Pe-ru', and began to march toward Cuz'co, 
the city where the ruler dwelt. This ruler was called the 
In'ca. 

In Peru Pizarro and his men came upon many strange 
sights. They saw fields watered by canals, with growing 
crops of white potatoes, Indian corn, and fine, puffy white 
cotton, none of which grew in Europe. 

Men were pulling the wooden ploughs through the ground, 
for there were no horses and oxen. Although at times 
llamas were used for this purpose, they were too small and 
weak to do much. 

The Spaniards wondered at the fine roads. They were 

42 



FRANCISCO PIZARRO 



43 



about twenty-five feet wide and almost as level as our rail- 
roads are to-day. Of course you can see that it was not 
easy to build such roads in this country with so many hills, 
high mountains, and deep, broad valleys to cross. 

As Pizarro and his men climbed higher and higher on 
their wav over the moun- 
tains, they saw here and 
there beautiful gardens on the 
mountain-sides. Although 
the marching was slow and 
hard, the little army kept 
going forward. 

At last, when the Inca 
learned that the white 
strangers were on their way 
up from the sea, in fear he 
sent messengers to Pizarro 
with gifts and words of 




ft 



Wfc 



V 



A Street in Cuzco. 



welcome. Like the Mex- 
icans, the people of Peru thought the horses were strange 
monsters, and the guns thunder-bolts; so they were 
afraid. 

On meeting Pizarro, the Inca's messengers called him 
"Son of the Sky God," because they believed he had powers 
greater than those of human beings. 

After these greetings Pizarro marched to the city of Cax- 
a-mar'ca, and on November 15, entered it with a small army. 



44 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



He at once sent De So'to, a trusty captain, with thirty-five 
horsernen, to invite the Inca to visit him. 

De Soto found the Inca surrounded by women slaves, 
and by chiefs wearing quilted cotton clothes, and carrying 




The people of Peru thought the horses were strange monsters. 

weapons. They had lances, clubs, bows, slings, and lassoes. 

The Inca treated them politely and promised to return 
the visit the next day. 

But when Pizarro learned of the size of the Inca's army, 
he felt that his small body of men was in great danger. 



FRANCISCO PIZARRO 



45 



Brave as he was, do you think he slept well that night? It 
is more than likely that all the Spaniards expected the next 
day would be their last. 

But Pizarro gave no sign of fear. He hid his men in the 




The Inca Making the Mark Upon the Wall. 

houses of Caxamarca, and sent a priest to meet the Inca. 
When the two met, the priest began to make a long speech, 
and handed a Bible to the Inca. The proud ruler threw it 
upon the ground, no doubt thinking it was something to 
harm him. 



46 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



No sooner had he done this than, at a given signal, the 
Spaniards rushed from the houses where they were hidden, 
seized the Inca, and 
for two hours cut 
down his followers. 

He was shut in a 
room twenty-two feet 
long and seventeen 
feet wide. Reaching 
as high as he could, 
he made a mark upon 
the wall. He told 
-Pizarro that he would 
fill the room with gold 
up to that mark for 
the Spaniards, if they 
would let him go. 
The crafty Spanish 
leader agreed to do so. 

At once messen- 
gers were sent to 
many parts of Peru, 
and the promised gold 

began to come in. For six months the natives toiled 
away, bringing, day by day, great loads of gold and silver. 
At last they got together what would now be worth many 
million dollars. 







FRANCISCO PIZARRO 47 

The greedy Spaniards were greatly pleased. For a time 
they treated the Inca with kindness. But a little later, 
fearing his power, Pizarro broke his promise, brought him 
to trial, and had him cruelly murdered. It was in this way 
that he made sure of conquering Peru (1533). 

But Pizarro was not to enjoy what he had won so un- 
fairly. A quarrel with one of his leaders soon brought him 
to a bitter end. 

One day at noon while he was at dinner, nineteen heavily 
armed: men entered his palace and took him by surprise. 
He had not time to put on his armor, but he quickly seized 
a spear and fought like a lion. Although a white-haired 
man past seventy years of age, he cut down one after an- 
other in the fearful struggle he made for his life. 

Finally they overcame him, and he fell. Making a cross 
on the floor,, he kissed it and breathed his last. With great 
joy his enemies shouted, "The tyrant is dead!" Such was 
the end of Pizarro, the fearless conqueror of Peru. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Why was Pizarro eager to go to Peru? 

2. Imagine yourself as having been with the marching Spaniards 

and tell something of the strange sights they came upon. 

3. What did the people of Peru think of the horses and guns of the 

Spaniards? 

4. Tell how Pizarro treated the Inca. What do you think of such 

treatment? 

5. Why was Pizarro murdered by his own men? Is there anything 

you admire in him? 



CHAPTER VII 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND HERNANDO DE SOTO 

PONCE DE LEON 

Among the many Spaniards who were seeking fortunes 
in the New World was Ju-an' Ponce de Leon (pon'tha da 
la-on'). He was governor of Por'to Ri'co about the time 
that Balboa discovered the Pacific. 

His health was poor, and he was no longer young. Hav- 
ing heard of a wonderful fountain of youth on an island 
not far to the north, he longed to drink of its waters, for he 
believed they would bring back his health and make him 

young again. So he got the 
consent of the King of Spain 
to explore and conquer the 
island on which he had 
been told this fountain 
could be found. 

Sailing north from Porto 

Rico, he reached land on 

Easter morning, 1513, and 

named the new country 

Flor'i-da, in honor of the day.* Of course he did not find 

the fountain of youth, and after sailing along the coast for 

• Pascua Florida is the Spanish name for Easter Sunday. 

48 




Routes Traversed by De Soto and 
De Leon 




Searching for the Fountain of Youth. 



50 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



many miles with his men, he returned to Porto Rico. We 
remember him as the man who discovered Florida. 



»'*!W 



DE SOTO 

Most of the explorers sought, however, not youth, but 
gold. So many sailors had gone back to Spain with won- 
derful stories of what they had seen 
and heard that men were now eager 
to try their fortunes in the new 
land. Among these was Her-nan'do 
de So'to. 

You remember that he was with 
Pizarro in Peru. From there he 
went back to Spain with great 
wealth and honor. Hoping to find 
another land as rich as Peru and 
Mexico, he asked the King of Spain 
to make him governor of Cuba. The king did so, and also 
told him that he might conquer and settle Florida. 

De Soto easily found men to join his company. There 
were 600 in all, among them many gay nobles and daring 
soldiers. 

After reaching Cuba and planting a settlement there, 
De Soto, with 570 men and 223 horses, sailed for Florida. 
Two weeks later, in May, 1529, they landed on its western 
coast. 

Very soon their troubles began. The journey was full of 




Hernando De Soto. 



DE LEON AND DE SOTO 51 

danger. As there were no roads, the Spaniards had to 
make their way through thick woods and tangled under- 
brush, by following the trails of Indians and wild beasts. 
Even these trails often failed, and then they had to cross 
rivers and wade through swamps, not knowing where they 
would come out. 

The soldiers suffered also from hunger, for the}' had little 
meat or salt. Then too they had to fight the Indians much 
of the time, for, from the start, De Soto had treated them 
with great cruelty, and they hated the Spaniards bitterly. 

After a while, some of De Soto's men lost heart and 
begged him to turn back. But he said, "We must go for- 
ward." 

In the course of his march he reached the town of a giant 
chief who had made ready to receive the strangers. He 
sat upon cushions on a raised platform. All about hini 
were his followers, and some of them held over his head a 
buckskin umbrella stained in red and white. 

He waited quietly for the coming of the Spanish horse- 
men, and showed no fear of their prancing steeds. But 
in spite of his grave dignity De Soto treated him with 
no respect. He compelled him to supply food, and then 
go with them to the next town. 

Here the Spaniards and the Indians had a bloody 
battle. It was one of the hardest ever fought in those early 
days between the white men and the red men. The Span- 
iards at last set fire to the houses, and by nightfall had 



52 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



killed all the Indians but three. Two of these fell while 

fighting, and the last one hanged himself with his bowstring. 

The battle was a serious one for the white men also. 

Many of them were killed or wounded, and most of their 




De Soto Reaching the Mississippi River. 



clothing, arms, and supplies were burned. In fact, they had 
to weave long grass into mats for clothing. 

They were in a pitiful condition, and longed to return 
to home and friends. Again they begged Dc Soto to go 
back, but he would not. 

At last the Spaniards reached the Mississippi, and after 
crossing it marched north along its western bank, still 
searching for gold. 



DE LEON AND DE SOTO 



53 



The next winter was long and severe, and their suffer- 
ings were almost greater than they could bear. De Soto 




Burial of De Soto. 



himself now gave up all hope. He decided to go to the 
coast and build ships to send for aid. 

When he reached the mouth of the Red River, he went 
with an Indian chief as a guest to his town. Here, sick at 
heart and weakened in body, he fell ill with a fever, and 
died in May, 1542. At first his followers buried his body 
within the walls of the town, but they feared that the 



54 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

red men might attack them if De Soto's death became 
known. So they dug up the body, wrapped it in blank- 
ets, and in the darkness of midnight lowered it into the 
black waters of the Mississippi. 

De Soto had come to America to seek wealth and honor. 
What he found was hunger, hardship, disease, and a grave 
in the mighty river he had discovered. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What was De Leon trying to find? What important thing did he 

do? 

2. What did De Soto come to America to seek? 

3. Imagine yourself as having been with him, and tell all you can 

about your struggles with hunger, disease, and the Indians. 

4. Tell how De Soto treated the giant chief, and what was the out- 

come. 

5. What was the great work of De Soto? What do you think of him? 



CHAPTER VIII 



JACQUES CARTIER 

Thus far nothing has been said about the work of the 
French explorers. But France was not willing to be left 
out of the struggle for riches and power. She, too, wanted 
the gold, silver, spices, and jewels which all were seeking. 

Yet it was not until 1534 that she sent an explorer to 
find the Northwest Passage to China. The name of this bold 
and skilful sea-captain was Jacques Cartier (zhak car- 
ty-a'). He sailed along the coast 
of northeastern America, passed 
into the Gulf of St. Law'rence ; 
and carried back to France a full 
report of what he had seen. 

The following year he made 
another voyage, this time up the 
St. Lawrence. He believed this 
river to be the passage through 
America which he was seeking. 

He landed at a little Indian 

village where Que-bec' now stands. 

The Indians did not want their rivals up the river to share 

in what the white men had taught them. So they told 

55 




Jacques Cartier. 



56 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



absurd stories of awful tempests and islands of floating ice 

to frighten him out of going further. But he pushed on. 

On his way upstream he came to another Indian vil- 




Cartier Arriving at Montreal. 



lage with a very steep hill back of it. He named it Mont- 
re-al', which is French for "royal mountain." 

Here the Indians flocked down to the shore, all eager to 
welcome the white strangers. They danced and sang, and 
brought gifts of fish and corn. 

After the Frenchmen had landed, the Indian women 
and children crowded about them, feeling in wonder of the 
white men's beards and touching their faces. 

Then the warriors brought their sick chief and placed 



JACQUES CARTIER 57 

him on the ground at Cartier's feet to be healed by his 
touch. 

After a brief stay, the French went back to Quebec. 
There they spent a terrible winter, losing twenty-five of their 
number. At one time only three or four were well enough 
to care for the sick. As the ground was frozen so hard that 
they could not dig graves, they hid the bodies of the dead 
in the deep snow-drifts. 

In the spring after this awful winter, Cartier was glad 
to go back to France. Five years later he tried again to 
plant a colony at Quebec, but again he failed. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What was Cartier trying to find? 

2. Go with him in imagination up the St. Lawrence to Montreal, and 

tell what the Indians did when the Frenchmen landed. 

3. How did Cartier and his men suffer during the following winter in 

Quebec? 

4. Cartier did not find the Northwest Passage. Did he fail in any- 

thing else? 



CHAPTER IX 

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

After the conquest of Mexico and Peru, Spain got from 
them a very great quantity of gold and silver, which she 
spent in making wars upon other nations. She had a 
strong desire to crush England, and bring that country 
under her power. 

When English seamen were captured by Spanish sea- 
men, some were thrown into dark prisons, some hanged, 
and others burned to death at the stake. You will not 
need to be told, then, that Englishmen hated Spain, and no 
one hated her more than did Fran'cis Drake. 

He was a great sea-captain. He spent most of his life 
on the sea, and for many years fought against Spain, doing 
all he could to weaken her power. 

He made his first voyage to America as pilot for Sir 
John Haw'kins. While they were on the coast of Mexico, 
Spanish vessels suddenly swooped down upon them one day, 
took their gold and silver, and destroyed all but two of 
their ships. 

Of course, Drake was very angry. He became more 
bitter than ever against the Spaniards, and began to lay 
plans to attack their settlements and to capture their gold. 

58 



SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 



59 



On one of his voyages he sailed to Panama, and while 
there he went across the Isthmus. One day the natives 
took him to the 
top of a hill, and 
from under the 



branches of a large 
tree he gazed upon 
the vast waters of 
the Pacific. 

He was the first 
Englishman to 
look upon that 
ocean. In awe he 
fell upon his knees, 
and prayed that 
God would let him 
go out upon that 
water. For he knew 
that the Spanish 
ships were sailing 
there and gathering gold and silver to carry back to Spain. 

It was several years before he could make another 
voyage to the New World. Then by the help of some 
wealth}' friends, he got together a fleet of five ships. They 
were richly fitted out. His table was set with dishes of 
gold and silver, and he himself dressed in fine clothes. 

The fleet sailed in November, 1577. After being nearly 




Young Drake Watching Vessels Put Out to Sea. 



60 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



two months out of sight of land ; Drake and his men reached 
the coast of Brazil. Sailing along the coast they met with 

so many severe 
storms and dense 
fogs that they 
were often forced 
to turn back, and 
two of their vessels 
were lost. 

In August of 
the next year the 
three vessels that 
were left sailed 
into the Strait of 
Magellan. Here 
for two long weeks 
they were tossed 
about by storms 
and head-winds. 
They feared then- 
vessels might be dashed to pieces; but as Drake was brave 
and skilful, they passed safely on. 

It was a time of trial and heavy loss. One of the ves- 
sels deserted, and after a while another was lost. Now 
only the flag-ship, the Golden Hind, was left; but Drake 
would not turn back. 

After sailing through the Strait, there were no more 







Drake Sees the Pacific Ocean for the First Time. 



SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 



61 



storms. Then Drake went northward, passing along the 
western coast of the new continent, South America. 

Things looked brighter now, for he began to find the 
Spanish treasure he was seeking. In one harbor he captured 
a Spanish ship loaded with wine and gold, and in the harbor 
of Lima, he came upon 
Spanish ships lying at 
anchor, and took from 
them silks, linen, and a 
chest of plate. 

But he did not stop 
long, because he heard 
that a vessel loaded with 
treasure had just sailed 
out of the harbor for 
Panama. Eagerly he 
started after her, promising a golden chain to the sailor 
who should first sight the Spanish vessel. 

At last one of his men saw her, trying hard to escape. 
After a hot chase, Drake overtook her and obtained a large 
quantity of gold and jewels. 

He now began to think of sailing back to England. But 
it did not seem wise to return by the same way he had 
come, because the Spaniards might be lying in wait for 
him. For this reason he made up his mind to sail west and 
reach England that way. 

On his homeward voyage, he stopped at the Philippines 




A Spanish Galleon of the Sixteenth Century. 



62 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



and other islands of the Pacific, where he traded with the 
natives and took on fresh food. 

Having explored these islands, he sailed for the Cape of 
Good Hope, and after several narrow escapes he reached the 

home port early in Novem- 
ber, 1580. His voyage had 
lasted nearly three years. 
At first the queen 
would not let him land, 
because in capturing 
Spanish ships Drake 
might have brought on a 
war with Spain. 
But later he was treated with great honor. He was in- 
vited to the Queen's court, and she herself came to dinner 
on board his ship, and made him a knight, so that from that 
time, he was called Sir Francis Drake. He was the second 
man and the first Englishman to sail entirely around the 
world. Can you think who had done this before? 




An English Ship of the Fifteenth Century. 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did Drake and other Englishmen hate Spain? 

2. What did Drake do soon after he looked upon the Pacific for the 

first time? Why? 

3. Tell what you can about Drake's stormy passage through the 

Strait of Magellan. 

4. In what ways did he try to harm the Spaniards? 

5. Why did the Queen of England make him a knight? 

6. What great thing did he do? W T hat do you admire in him? 



CHAPTER X 
SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

One of the foremost Englishmen that lived in the time 
of Drake was Wal'ter Ra'leigh (raw'li). He was born in a 
town near the sea in the southern part of England. He was 
a fine-looking lad ; full of life and fond of all out-door sports. 
In his home town lived many old sailors, who could tell the 
bright, wide-awake boy stirring tales of life at sea and of 
hard fights with Spaniards. 

While he was still a youth of less than twenty years, he 
went to France and became a soldier; and later he joined the 
army of the Dutch in Holland, who were at war with Spain. 

At the age of twenty-seven, a few years after his return 
from Holland, he attracted the notice of Queen Elizabeth 
by a simple act of courtesy. One day as the queen with 
her attendants was passing along, Raleigh happened to be 
standing by. 

On seeing her stop when she reached a muddy spot, he 
quickly took off his beautiful velvet cloak and spread it 
across the way for her to walk upon. As a queen and a 
woman, this won her heart and made her a friend of the 
young Raleigh, who soon became one of the leading men in 
her court. 

63 



64 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



He was now a tall, handsome man, with dark hair, a 
high color, and blue eyes. He dressed in a striking way. 
On his hat he wore a pearl-covered band, and a black feather 




Kaleigh Spreading His Cloak Before Queen Elizabeth. 



decked with jewels. His shoes, also, which were tied with 
white ribbons, were ornamented with gems. His richest 
suit of armor was made of silver. 

In those days rich men dressed much more brilliantly 
than women. Although Queen E-liz'a-beth herself had 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 



65 



1,075 dresses decked with jewels of great value, and owned 
eighty wigs of various colors, yet the men of her court out- 
shone even her. 

While Raleigh had much money, he did not waste it. 
In fact, he almost always knew how to spend it wisely. As 
the story goes on, you will see that 
we Americans owe him much for 
what he did in trying to plant an 
English colony in the New World. 

In 1578 he joined his half- 
brother, Sir Humphrey Gil'bert, in 
a voyage to New'found-land with 
the purpose of planting a settle- 
ment on the coast of America. But 
this plan failed. 

Six years later Raleigh fitted out 
two vessels which he sent over to the New World to find 
out something about the countiy. On their return the 
men in charge of these vessels said they found the Indians 
friendly and the land beautiful. 

The queen was so pleased with this report that she said 
the new land should be called Vir-gin'ia in honor of herself, 
the Virgin Queen. 

The next year Raleigh sent out a colony of 108 per- 
sons. Sir Richard Gren'ville was commander of the fleet, 
and Ralph Lane was to be governor of the colony. 

They landed at Ro'a-noke. From the first they were 




Sir Walter Raleigh. 



66 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



most unwise, because they treated the Indians so harshly 
that they became very unfriendly. 

And the ill-will of the Indians was not the only trouble 
the colonists had. Food became scarce, and Grenville had 
to sail to England for more. 

While he was away, Lane started out to explore the 
Roanoke River, of which he had heard wonderful tales from 

the Indians. "This stream flows 
through lands rich with gold and 
silver," they said. "Its waters 
come out of a fountain which is 
so near the South Sea that in time 
of storm the waves break over into 
the fountain. Near this stream 
also," they added, "is a town sur- 
rounded by walls made of pearls." 
But Lane and the men who 
went with him found no such 
fountain or town. What they did 
Their food became so scarce that 
they had to eat dog flesh to keep themselves alive. 

When Lane returned, all were sick at heart, the future 
looked so dark. But about this time, Sir Francis Drake 
with 23 vessels cast anchor near the island. He had 
come from the West Indies, where he had been plunder- 
ing Spanish settlements, and was on his way to England. 
He agreed to leave food and a part of his fleet with the 




Queen Elizabeth. 



find was great hardship. 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 



67 



colonists. But when a heavy storm came up, the settlers 
in their fear begged to return to England, and he took 
them all on board. 

They had found no gold, but they took back to England 
things of far more value. These were sweet potatoes, 
Indian corn, and tobacco. 

Long before this first cargo had arrived in England, 
Grenville had returned to Roanoke with food. Finding 
no one there, he left 15 
men and sailed back home. 

raleigh's second colony 

Most men would by 
this time have lost courage, 
but Raleigh was too strong 
and brave to give up. Two 
years later, he made an- 
other attempt. This time 
he sent Captain John White, with 150 men, 17 women, and 
11 children. The company landed at Roanoke but could 
not find the 15 men left there by Grenville. 

Like the first colony, in a short time these settlers made 
enemies of the Indians. Very soon, also, food became scarce 
and they begged Captain White to go back to England for 
more. 

He did not wish to leave the colony. Nor did he like to 
say good-by to his little granddaughter, Virginia Dare, the 




Cape 
Hatteras 



Raleigh's Various Colonies. 



68 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



first white child born in the New World. But he knew they 
must have food, so he started. 

Before he left, the settlers agreed that if they should 
leave the place for any reason, they would cut into the bark 




Finding the Name Carved Upon the Tree. 



of a tree the name of the place to which they were going. 
They said also, "If we are in trouble, we will make a cross 
above the name." 

White reached home just as his countrymen were prepar- 
ing to meet the attack of the great Spanish fleet, the "Ar- 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 69 

ma'da." To defend herself, England needed every ship 
that her seamen could get ready. So the two small vessels 
which Raleigh had fitted out for his colony were held for 
this great sea-fight. 

Almost three years went by before Captain White could 
return to Roanoke. When he at last arrived, not a single 
person was left. He found only some chests of books, some 
maps, and some fire-arms. 

You may be sure that he lost no time in looking for the 
message on the tree. He found " Cro-a-to'an " cut in cap- 
ital letters, but no cross. 

Now Croatoan is the name of an island near Roanoke. 
White therefore begged the captain of the vessel on which 
he was sailing to cany him to this island. But the weather 
was so stormy that the captain would not do so. 

Wliat became of the lost colony, no one has ever learned. 
Five times Raleigh sent out men to look for it, but he never 
heard from it again. Years afterwards it was found that 
four men, two boys, and one girl had been adopted into an 
Indian tribe. Very likely the rest of the settlers were killed 
by the Indians. 

Raleigh's work in America was over. Although he had 
failed to plant a colony, he had done something better. He 
had taught the English that they should not value the New 
World so much for the gold and silver they might find in it, 
as for the homes they might build there for themselves and 
their children. 



70 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell how Raleigh spread his cloak across the way for Queen Eliza- 

beth to walk upon. 

2. Tell something about how Raleigh and the queen dressed. 

3. In what ways did the men of Raleigh's first colony act unwisely? 

4. What came out of his first attempt to plant a colony? What out 

of his second attempt? 

5. Raleigh did something better than plant a colony. What was it? 

What do you think of him? 



CHAPTER XI 
STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 

Twenty years passed by after Sir Walter Raleigh's col- 
ony came to such a sad end before any one tried again. 

Then a group of merchants, nobles, and sea-captains, 
called The London Company, made another attempt to 
start a settlement in the New World. They hoped that 
the settlers might make the company rich by finding gold 
and silver, as the Spaniards had done, and by building up 
trade. 

As a beginning, the company sent out 105 men. These 
set sail from London on New Year's Day, 1607, in three 
frail vessels. 

But they were not the right kind of men to settle a new 
country. About half of them were men who had never 
done any rough, hard work, such as cutting down trees and 
chopping wood. They called themselves "gentlemen," and 
they expected to come over to America and pick up a fort- 
une without work. Then they would go back to England 
and live at ease the rest of their lives. 

Their voyage across the ocean was a long one, and it was 

well that they did not know what dangers and hardships 

awaited them. They sailed down to the Canary Islands 

71 



72 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

and from there to the West Indies, where they stopped sev- 
eral weeks. 

It took them about four months to make the journey, 
and at the end their food was nearly gone. They had in- 
tended to land at Roanoke Island, where Raleigh's colony 
had been. But a storm drove them out of their course, and 
they entered Ches'a-peake Bay. 

From here they sailed up a beautiful river with the flowers 
of a southern May blooming on its banks. They named it 
the James, in honor of the King of England. 

Fifty miles from the mouth of the river, the voyagers 
landed and, after looking about, picked out a place in which 
to settle down, naming it after their king, James'town. 

You can imagine that when people come to live in a new 
land, there is a great deal to do. The first thing was to 
make some sort of shelter. Some of them quickly put up 
rude huts covered with bark or turf, some made tents of 
old sails, and some merely dug holes in the ground. 

Going to church did not mean for them going indoors, 
for their church had only an old sail for a roof, a plank 
nailed up between two trees for a pulpit, and logs of wood 
for seats. 

You boys and girls who like to camp out may think all 
this must have been great fun. But living in this way is 
. not so pleasant if one has to do it all the time. 

Before they were fairly settled, trouble began. It was 
very hot in the new countiy, and the damp, unhealthy air 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 73 

rising from the undrained swamps brought disease. Many 
of the settlers fell ill and tossed about on their rough beds 
in high fever. Sometimes three or four died in a single 
night. 

Then, too, food became so scarce that each man had only 
a cupful of mouldy wheat or barley to last all day. 

To make matters even worse, the Indians were un- 
friendly. Very soon after the white men came, two hundred 
redskins had attacked them, killing one and wounding eleven 
of their number. 

After that, the settlers took turns in acting as watchmen. 
Each man had to be on guard every third night, and lying 
on the damp, bare ground caused more illness. Sometimes 
there were not five men strong enough to carry guns. 

JOHN SMITH AND THE INDIANS 

During the summer about half the colonists died. Per- 
haps none would have lived but for one brave and strong 
man. This was John Smith. 

According to his story, which, however, not everybody 
believes, he had already passed through many dangers in 
foreign lands, often narrowly escaping death. 

He had returned to England from the war with the 
Turks just in time to join these men coming to Virginia. 
Being fearless and quick to think what to do, he proved a 
great help to the colonists during this hard summer. 

When, however, the cooler days of autumn set in, the 



74 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 




\ 

John Smith. 



future looked much brighter. There was more food and less 
sickness. Game began to run in the woods, their garden 
vegetables ripened, and water-birds and fish were plentiful. 

Now that the colony was in better 
condition, Smith thought he ought to 
be looking for the passage to the 
"South Sea," as the London Com- 
pany had ordered them to do. 

You see, men were still searching 

for the shorter route to the East, 

and many even then believed that 

the Pacific Ocean lay just beyond 

the mountains west of Jamestown. 

It was December when Smith 

started out to explore, and the weather was cold. After 

some days, he reached the Chick-a-hom'i-ny River. 

When the water became too shallow for his boat, Smith 
changed into a light canoe and with two white men and 
two Indian guides paddled on upstream. 

Before long they landed. Then Smith left the white 
men in charge of the canoe, and with one of his Indians 
pushed his way into the forests. Soon they were set upon 
by two hundred Indian warriors, and Smith was captured. 

You may be sure he had an exciting story to tell, when l 
he got back, of what happened to him during the next few 
weeks. 

He said that the Indians first tied him to a tree and 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 75 

were about to shoot him. But to save his life, he pulled 
out an ivory compass and showed it to them, in this way 
arousing their curiosity. They looked at the needle moving 
about under the glass and tried to touch it. When they 
could not, they were puzzled. 

Smith then wrote a letter to his friends at Jamestown, 
telling them of his capture, and sent it by some of the In- 
dians. They could not see how the white man was able to 
make the paper talk. Thinking that he must be more than 
human, they spared his life. 

The Indians took Smith around to visit manv of their 
villages, and at last to their chief, Pow-ha-tan'. 

This old chief lived in a "long house" on the York River 
fifteen miles from Jamestown. He was tall and strongly 
built. His face was round and fat, and his thin gray hair 
hung down his back. 

He was dressed in a robe of raccoon skin, and sat before 
the fire on a sort of bench covered with mats. Near him 
were young Indian maidens. At his right and at his left 
were warriors, and close to the wall on either side sat a row 
of squaws. 

What do you think happened next? Some of the war- 
riors placed two stones upon the ground, seized Smith, and 
laid him down with his head upon the stones. Then with 
clubs in their hands and arms raised they stood ready to 
kill him. 

But just at that moment, Smith tells us, the chief's little 



76 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

daughter, Po-ca-hon'tas, rushed forward and fell upon his 
body. She threw her arms about his neck and begged her 
father to spare his life. Powhatan did so and adopted 
Smith into the tribe. This was all according to an Indian 
custom which was sometimes followed to save a prisoner's 
life. 

Three days later, Smith was allowed to return to James- 
town. He had been away about two weeks. When he got 
back, he found the settlers were out of food. But that very 
day Captain Newport returned from England with fresh 
supplies and with one hundred and twenty new colonists. 

Pocahontas also, along with a band of Indian braves, 
soon came to the settlement bringing baskets of corn, wild- 
fowl, and other kinds of food. What a good friend and 
peace-maker this little maid was! 

The following summer Smith explored the Potomac River 
and various parts of Chesapeake Bay. He sailed 3,000 
miles and made some very good maps of the country. On 
his return to Jamestown (September, 1608), he was made 
president of the council. 

Not many weeks later, Jamestown was again- in trouble. 
The Indians had turned against the settlers. You see, 
Powhatan was afraid that if white people kept coming, his 
people would, before long, be driven from their hunting- 
grounds. So he planned to get rid of the Englishmen. 

He thought that by refusing to give them corn, he could 
starve them out. Smith, knowing well that the settlers 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 



77 



must make a brave stand, with some forty armed men went 
to Powhatan's village and said, "We must have corn." 

"You can have it," said Powhatan, "if for every basket- 
ful you will give me an English sword." Smith at once 
refused, but he com- 
pelled the Indians to 
carry corn on board his 
boat. 

Although the old 
chief acted as if he were 
friendly, he was all the 
time planning to murder 
Smith and all his men. 
But again little Poca- 
hontas proved herself a 
friend to the white man. 
For that night, at the 
risk of her life, she came 
to Smith in the dark- 
ness and told him of 
his danger. The next morning Smith sailed away unhurt. 

But as he needed more corn, he stopped at another Indian 
village. Suddenly he found that hundreds of warriors with 
weapons were surrounding him. Boldly he seized their 
chief by the scalp-lock, and putting a pistol to his breast 
cried, "Corn or your life!" Then the Indians brought 
Smith all the corn he needed. 




Pocahontas. 



78 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

In this way Smith managed the Indians. It was well 
for Jamestown that he could manage the settlers also. For 
not long after he had brought back corn from the Indians, 
the colony had to face a new danger. Swarms of rats, which 
had been brought over in the ships, were eating up what 
little food they had. 

When this was discovered, Smith declared: "To save 
ourselves from starving, every man must turn to and help 
by working. He who will not help shall not eat." And 
every man had to obey the new rule. 

Although the lazy settlers did not like it, they set to 
work cutting down trees, building houses, clearing up the 
land, and planting corn. 

As we should expect, the outlook grew brighter. If 
Smith had stayed with them, we may well believe the col- 
ony would have prospered. But as he had received a wound 
which would not heal, he had to go back to England to have 
it treated. 

"THE STARVING TIME " AND WHAT FOLLOWED 

When he left, Jamestown had five hundred settlers. 
Shortly after he had gone the Indians began to rob and 
plunder the settlement, even killing some of the settlers. 

Cold weather set in, and then there was much sickness 
and suffering. Sometimes several died in a single day. To 
make matters worse, before the end of the winter there was 
no food. 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 



79 



The starving men tried in vain to live on roots and herbs, 
and then were driven to eat their dogs and horses. At the 
end of this dreadful winter, which was called "the starving 
time," only sixty of the five hundred men were left alive. 



*&*■ is 

J'' 



•frV 






W§ y fW 




Landing of Lord Delaware. 



Late in the spring a little vessel arrived from England 
with more men. They found the settlers so weak that they 
could hardly walk and quite unable to do any work. But 
oh, how glad they were to see friends! 

As the ship brought little food, they all decided to sail 
away to England. Before they got out of the mouth of the 
James River, however, they met Lord Del'a-ware. He was 
the new governor, and had come with three ships loaded 



80 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

with men and supplies. So they turned back, and the 
colony was saved. 

Lord Delaware made wise laws, and everybody seemed 
ready to do his part. But just as they were becoming hope- 
ful once more, the governor had to go back to England be- 
cause he was not well. 

Sir Thomas Dale was left in charge of the colony. He 
was a stern ruler, but he made one very good change. Ever 
since coming to Jamestown, the colonists had kept up the 
foolish plan of having one large storehouse which they used 
in common. That is, every man put in what he raised, and 
took out what he needed. 

As you might expect, the lazy men let the others do the 
work for them. But by the new plan, each settler was to 
have three acres of land for himself and was to turn into 
this common storehouse only six bushels of corn a year. 
The rest of his crop he could use as he pleased. 

This was much fairer. The lazy men had to get to work 
or starve, while the good workers raised so much that the 
colony after that not only had all it needed but could sell to 
the Indians. 

Another change that worked well was a new way of 
making laws. Up to this time the settlers had had nothing 
to do with managing the affairs of the colony. But in 1619 
a new charter allowed each settlement (there were now 
eleven) to send two men to an assembly to help make laws 
for all. 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 81 

Now that each man could keep for himself what he 
earned and have a share in making the laws, a better class 
of settlers came to Virginia. Men with families were willing 
to take their chances in the new county. 

Up to this time most of the men who came over were 
not married. Of course they expected to remain only a 
while and then return to England. But if they had their 
own homes they would be likely to settle for good in Virginia. 

Early in 1620 the London Company sent out a new kind 
of cargo. It was ninety young women to become wives of 
the settlers. Each settler ; however ; had to win the consent 
of the maiden he chose for his bride. When he had done so ; 
he paid the company one hundred and fifty pounds of to- 
bacco, which was the cost of her passage from England. 
This all seems queer to us, but the plan worked finely, and 
many happy homes were started. 

The planters now had good reasons for being pleased 
with their new life. They were making money rapidly by 
raising tobacco, and they were all the time feeling safer and 
stronger as a colony because their numbers were growing 
larger. 

AN UPRISING OF THE INDIANS 

By 1622 the settlements extended from the coast along 
the James River up to where Richmond is now. They 
spread out, making a belt five or six miles wide on each side 
of the river. 



82 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



In some places the settlers had put up thick-walled 
block'houses and pal'i-sades, or rows of stakes, as a defence 
against attacks from the Indians. But so far no attacks 
had been made. 




. . _-«^ - „csm$s£* 



Jamestown, 1622. 



a 



For years settlers and red men lived in peace and good- 
will with one another. The settlers freely visited the In- 
dian villages, and the Indians were welcome in the homes 
of the white men. To make the friendship even stronger, 
the Indian maiden, Pocahontas, married one of the leading 
white men, John Rolfe. 

But a change was about to take place. After Powhatan 
died, his brother became chief. He at once began to work 
in secret for the murder of all the white settlers in Virginia. 

The plan was that on a certain day all the settlements 
were to be attacked at the same hour. But until the time 
came, all the Indians were to pretend to be very friendly. 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 



83 



Even on the morning when the outbreak took place, they 
carried game to the settlers' houses and sat down as friends 
at their tables. 

But when the hour of eight o'clock came, the Indians 
set upon them and shot or struck dead every white person 
within reach, in field or shop or even at the breakfast tables 
where they had been eating as guests. Before the day 
closed, they had slain over four hundred settlers and left 
some seventy plantations without a living soul upon them. 
There was hardly a household of which 
at least one member was not killed. 

How do you think the white men 
felt at such base treatment? Of 
course, they arose in their might, and 
hunted down the Indians like wild 
beasts, killing them by hundreds. 
After conquering them they went 
back and took up the work of peace 
once more. 



TOBACCO AND THE PLANTATION 

They had found that the most 
money could be made by raising 
tobacco, so they planted many acres 
of it. But as tobacco would not grow year after year in 
the same soil, the planters had to own a great deal of land, 
that is, large plan-ta'tions. 




A Virginia Planter. 



84 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



To care for these plantations, many workers were needed. 
To meet this need poor boys and girls were brought over 
from England and bound to service until they should grow 
up. Later on men came who had agreed, before starting, 

to work a certain 
number of years for 
the man who paid 
their passage. These 
were called indented 
servants. 

Until the promised 
number of years was 
up, they could be sold 
by their masters, just 
as horses, tobacco, or 
anything else could be. 
But when they had 
worked off their debt, 
they became free and 
could hire out. Some, by saving their wages, after a time 
bought plantations of their own. 

Finally some negroes were brought to Virginia. Twenty 
came from Africa in a Dutch vessel (1619) and were sold as 
slaves. But for a long time the number did not increase 
very much. 

There were many rivers in eastern Virginia, and each 
planter tried to secure a plantation facing one of them. 




Vessel at Wharf Receiving Tobacco. 



STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 85 

There he could have his own wharf and load his tobacco, for 
market. If the stream was so shallow that a vessel could 
not sail up to the wharf, the tobacco was loaded on rafts 
and pushed downstream. 

Sometimes casks filled with tobacco were rolled down to 
the landing over what were called "cor'du-roy roads/' made 
of tree-trunks laid side by side in the mud. Then again 
the casks were pulled to the wharf by horses or oxen. 

When the vessel which took the tobacco to England came 
back, it brought such things as chairs and tables, pots and 
kettles, axes, hoes, ploughs, and clothing. In fact, for years 
after Jamestown was settled almost everything that the 
planter needed for his house and his plantation was brought 
from England by vessel to his wharf. 

Among the indented servants were masons, carpenters, 
blacksmiths, sawyers, spinners, and weavers. There were 
also coopers, who made the casks in which the tobacco was 
shipped. So before long, the simpler things needed could 
be made at home. 

The plantations were so large and so far apart, that no 
large towns grew up. But the many rivers and smaller 
streams made it possible for the planters to visit one an- 
other. If they could not go by water, they were very likely 
to ride on horseback over bridle-paths through the forests. 



86 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did men of the London Company make another attempt to 

start a settlement in the New World? 

2. Imagine yourself living in Jamestown that first summer, and tell 

all you can about the trials of the settlers. 

3. Go in imagination with John Smith to the "long house." Tell 

what Smith saw as he entered the house, and also how little 
Pocahontas saved his life. 

4. In what ways was she afterward kind to John Smith and the Vir- 

ginia settlers? 

5. Go in imagination with John Smith when he went to the Indians 

after corn, and tell what happened. 

6. Tell what you can about what Governor Dale did to do away with 

the common storehouse. Why was his plan a good one? 

7. Why did the Indians attack the settlement ? 

8. Why did the Virginia settlers raise so much tobacco and live on 

plantations? Why did most of the plantations face some river? 



CHAPTER XII 
STORIES OF EARLY MARYLAND 

At the time when the Jamestown settlers were having 
their hardest struggle with disease, famine, and Indians, the 
Catholics in England were also having a hard time. Some 
of them were fined and some of them thrown into prison for 
not obeying the laws about public worship. 

One of their number, George Calvert, Lord Bal'ti-more, 
resolved to plant a settlement in the New World where the 
Catholics could worship God in their own way without being 
punished. King James was his friend and gave him permis- 
sion to plant such a colony in New'f ound-land ; but it was 
too cold there. 

Lord Baltimore then got the consent of the new king, 
Charles I, the son of King James, to plant a colony in the 
lands lying north of the Po-to'mac. 

In November, 1633, two of Baltimore's vessels, the Ark 
and the Dove, sailed from England with between two and 
three hundred settlers. Only twenty of these called them- 
selves "gentlemen"; the rest were used to work. They had 
with them a good supply of food and tools. 

After a voyage of over three months, and a few days of 

rest at Point Comfort in Virginia, they reached the Potomac. 

87 



88 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 




Near its mouth they landed on a little wooded island, and 
planted a cross as a sign that it belonged to a Catholic people. 
The settlers were delighted with the beauty of the scen- 
ery, the blossoming river-bank, the strange trees, the wild 

grape-vines, the flocks of wild tur- 
keys, and the birds of bright colors. 
Friendly Indians, crowding the 
banks, gazed in wonder at the huge 
ships, scooped, they thought, like 
their canoes, out of single tree- 
trunks. They wondered where such 
great trees could grow. 

Sailing a few miles up the Po- 
tomac, the settlers entered a broad, 
inviting bay, which proved to be the 
mouths of some little streams. There was a good landing 
near its head, and they chose it for their first settlement. 
They named it St. Mary's, and the bay St. Mary's "River." 
The colony Lord Baltimore later called Maryland, after 
the Queen, Hen'ri-et'ta Ma-ri'a. 

They found the Indians friendly, and bought from them 
a tract of land, paying for it with axes, hoes, and cloth. Of 
course you know the Indians could not use money. 

These Indians seemed glad to have the white strangers 
dwell in their country. They even let them have a part of 
their own village. Indeed, one of their chiefs gave up his 
cabin to the priest, Father White, to be used as a chapel. 



George Calvert (Lord 
Baltimore). 



STORIES OF EARLY MARYLAND 



89 



The Indian braves joined the white men in their work, 
and the squaws taught the women how to make bread of 




Friendly Indians, crowding the banks, gazed in wonder at the huge ships. 



pounded corn. When later the Indians brought wild-tur- 
keys and other food to the settlement, they received a fair 
price, and often spent the night with the white men. 



90 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

But although the Indians were friendly, this colony was 
not without its troubles. Its neighbors, the colonists of Vir- 
ginia, of whom you have just read, claimed the land where 
the Ma'ry-land-ers had settled and were angry at them for 
taking it. They disliked also to have a Catholic colony so 
near to them. 

But in time this trouble passed over. Lord Baltimore 
made all religions equal in the colony, and every one might 
worship as he pleased. 

There were other troubles of various kinds, but in spite 
of all Maryland grew and prospered. The climate was 
mild and healthful, the soil was good, and there was plenty 
of game. Deer, turkeys, and pigeons abounded in the for- 
ests; the streams were alive with swans, geese, and ducks; 
while Chesapeake Bay, as now, was the home of oysters and 
ter'ra-pin beyond number. 

Fancy what good things the little boys and girls of early 
Maryland had to eat, and what fun they must have had in 
helping to get them! 

As in Virginia, nearly all the people lived on plantations, 
most of which were connected by water. Travel was 
chiefly by boats and canoes, or on horseback, as there were 
no carriages. 

Everybody knew how to ride. A pretty sight it must 
have been to see the ladies and gentlemen cantering along 
the green forest paths. There were few highways, and so 
wild was the country and so dense the forests that lonely 



STORIES OF EARLY MARYLAND 



91 



travellers sometimes lost their way and had to spend the 
night in the woods. 

Strangers alwaj^s found a welcome in the settler's home. 
It was pleasant to get news from the outside world, for you 
must remember that there 
were no newspapers then. 
At night, when the candles 
were lighted and the logs 
were burning in the open 
fireplaces, stories true or 
made up were always sure 
of eager listeners. 

The large plantations 
lay along the rivers which 
emptied into Chesapeake 
Bay or into the Potomac. 
As in Virginia, the ships 
brought almost to the 
planter's door the things 
which he needed and took 
in trade his tobacco and 
corn, while from the inland 
plantations, where the 
ships could not go, tobacco was brought down to the 
river-fronts over "corduroy roads." 

As in Virginia, also, plantation life left no chance for 
towns to grow. For many years St. Mary's, the capital, 




Early Settlements in Virginia and 
Maryland. 



92 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

was the only town in Maryland, and for a long time this 
was little more than a village. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did Lord Baltimore wish to plant a settlement in the New 

World? 

2. Tell all you can about the friendly feeling between the settlers 

and the Indians. 

3. Give any reasons why you think the boys and girls enjoyed living 

in the Maryland colony. 

4. The settlers had large plantations just as the people in Virginia 

had. Can you tell why? Why did not towns grow in Mary- 
land and in Virginia? 



CHAPTER XIII 
STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 

Besides the Catholics, there were other people in Eng- 
land who were not willing to worship as the law said they 
should. These people loved the Church of England, but 
they wished to make its forms of worship more simple. 
They were called Pu'ri-tans. 

Some of these disliked the forms of worship so much that 
they even wished to separate from the Church of England 
and form a church of their own. These are the people who 
later came to be called Pil'grims because, as we shall see, 
they journeyed about so much for the sake of their religion. 

Before they left England, these people met for Sunday 
service in the home of William Brewster, one of their chief 
men. He lived in the little village of Scroo'by. 

For a year they tried to worship by themselves. But 
the law did not permit secret meetings. So when they were 
found out they were punished and some were thrown into 
prison. 

This was hard, and after a while they made up their 

minds to leave England and seek homes in Holland, where 

they knew they could worship God as they pleased. 

93 



94 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

But as the king wanted his own way he was unwilling 
that they should go; so it was not easy for them to carry 
out their plan. Yet in 1608, a year after the settlement of 
Jamestown, the}^ managed to get away and they sailed to 
Am'ster-dam, moving later to Ley'den (li'd'n). 

They were well treated in Holland and got work as 
weavers, tailors, carpenters, and so on. But they were not 
happy there. They felt like strangers in a strange land. 
Besides, it was harder for them to make a living there than 
in England, where most of them had been farmers. 

Even after they had been in Holland for many years, they 
still loved England and did not get over longing for the 
English ways of doing things. It made them sad to see 
their children growing up as Dutch children and speaking 
Dutch instead of English. 

Finally, they said, "We will go to America, where we 
can worship God and bring up our children in our own 
way." 

But the English king was not willing to let them settle 
in America. Besides, they were poor, and found it hard to 
raise money for the voyage. At last the king promised he 
would not trouble them in America so long as they did noth- 
ing to displease him there. 

So the money needed for the voyage was borrowed, and 
after a long time a company was made ready to leave Hol- 
land. 

They sailed in a little vessel called the Speed' well. But 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



95 



not all of them could go, — some were too old and weak, — 
and the parting was a sad one. When good-byes were said, 
we may be sure that many eyes filled with tears. The 




Front apainlingby Charles W. Cope. 

Departure of Pilgrim Fathers from Delft Haven, 1620. 

pastor, who stayed in Holland, knelt on the shore and asked 
God to bless those of his flock who were going to the far-off 
land. 

At Ply 'mouth, England, the Speedwell was joined by a 
rather larger vessel, the May'flow-er. Twice the Pilgrims 
started, and twice they had to go back because the Speed- 
well leaked. Finally, they had to leave her behind, and 
crowd as many as possible into the Mayflower. 



96 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

At last on September 6, 1620, they made the final start. 
There were about one hundred people on board, among 
them twenty boys and eight girls. 

It was a terrible journey. Day after day, heavy storms 
and high winds tossed the boat about as if she were a cork. 
The sails were torn, and at times it seemed as if the little 
vessel would be lost in the great waves. Surely the Pilgrim 
bo) r s and girls must have been homesick for the safe though 
simple life they had left behind. 

In spite of storms, however, the ship sailed safely to 
the end of its voyage; and on Saturday, November 21st, 
she anchored in what is now called the Harbor of Prov'- 
ince-town. 

THE PILGRIMS IN SEARCH OF A HOME 

What thoughts must have come to these brave men and 
women as they caught the first glimpse of the strange new 
land which was to be their home! How tired and lonely 
they must have felt! Not a house nor a human being in 
sight! Only sand-hills and trees and dreary stretches of 
deep snow! Yet they had faith in God's care and were not 
afraid. 

They had been sixty-four days in crossing the At-lan'tic, 
a trip which some of our great steam-ships to-day make in 
less than a week. 

Before any one landed, the Pilgrim fathers gathered in 
the cabin of the Mayflower, and agreed to stand together 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



97 



and obey such laws as they might pass later. They elected 
John Car'ver as their governor, and Captain Miles Stan'- 
dish as their military leader. 

Captain Standish was not a Pilgrim, but he liked these 
brave men and enjoyed adventure. He was a small man 
but active and daring. He was also a good soldier, 
and was a great help to the Pilgrims in meet- 
ing the dangers of their new life. 

Without delay a few of the 
men, with Miles Standish as 
leader, went ashore to look for a 
place to settle. At night they 
returned without having found 
one. 

As the next day was Sunday, 
all stayed on board the ship and 
listened to a sermon preached by 
their minister, Elder Brewster. 

On Monday morning the 
whole company landed. The 
water was too shallow to float 
the boat, so the men had to 
wade ashore carrying the women. The weather was so 
bitter cold that their wet clothing soon stiffened with ice. 

But fires were lighted at once, and while the women were 
busy washing clothes, the men stood on guard with mus- 
kets ready if wild beasts or Indians should attack them. 




Miles Standish in Armor. 



98 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



The Pilgrims had brought with them a shallop, or small 
boat, which they expected to use in exploring the coast. 
While it was being made ready, Captain Standish and his 
men started out by land to look further for a good place to 
settle. 

They went as soldiers and put on all their armor. Just 
imagine how the little company looked ! Not much like our 

soldiers of to-day. They wore steel 
helmets, iron breast'plates, and quilted 
coats of mail. Surely Indian arrows 
could not hurt them! But what a 
heavy load to carry! 

Some of them, Captain Standish for 
one, of course, had swords hanging at 
their sides. All carried muskets, so big 
and heavy that they had to be rested 
on some support before they could 
be fired off. How clumsy and slow they would seem now I 
The Pilgrims had not gone more than a mile when 
they saw just ahead some Indians running away from them. 
Then they came upon a patch of land cleared for corn, and a 
hut. Inside was a large iron kettle which had been used 
for cooking. 

Looking about, they came upon some mounds in which 
were bows and arrows. In one were baskets of corn stored 
away. The Pilgrims took some of the corn for seed, but 
they were very careful to pay the Indians for it later. 




William Bradford's Chair. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



99 



While on this trip, William Bradford had a queer acci- 
dent. As he was picking his way through the underbrush, 
he was suddenly jerked upward and held dangling by one 




From a painting by G. H. Houghton. 



Pilgrim Exiles. 



leg in mid-air. His foot had been caught in a deer trap, and 
of course he was quickly set free. Very likely when he was 
safe on his feet again, all joined in a good laugh. 

After a two days' search the exploring party went back 
to the Mayflower without yet having found a suitable place 
for a settlement. 

Ten days later, still another party went out, this time 
in the shallop; but they did not succeed any better. 

It was now two weeks since the Mayflower had landed. 
The Pilgrims were tired and were longing for a home. 



100 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Besides, the winter was already upon them, and they felt 
that they must get settled. 

On December 16, a company of ten picked men set 
out once more in the shallop. The day was bitter cold. 
The ocean spray, blown by the wind, froze to ice upon the 
men's clothing. Yet they bravely went forward. 

When it grew dark, they went ashore for the night. 
To j) r otect themselves against the Indians and to keep 
from freezing they built a barricade of logs, sticks, and 
boughs, five or six feet high, and inside kept a huge fire 
burning. 

With their cloaks wrapped about them and their feet 
turned toward the fire, all but the watchful sentinel lay 
down to sleep. The great trees of the forest were their only 
shelter that cold winter night. 

On the second morning, before daybreak all were astir, 
some preparing breakfast and others putting the supplies 
into the boat. Suddenly a strange cry made every one stop 
to listen. It was the warwhoop of the Indians. 

Then a shower of arrows fell upon the little Pilgrim band. 
For a time the fighting went on briskly. But when Captain 
Standish wounded the leader of the Indians they quickly 
fled and the Pilgrims took to their shallop. 

This was but the beginning of a day full of danger. 
Late in the afternoon a furious storm of snow and rain 
caught them. They were in great peril and found it hard 
to keep afloat. Just before dark, a big wave almost swal- 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 101 

lowed them up. Soon their rudder was swept away, and 
then an angry gust of wind struck the mast and snapped 
it into three pieces. 

THE FIRST WINTER IN PLYMOUTH 

But they finally landed safe on an island where they 
found shelter. Here they kindled a fire to warm themselves 
and to dry their wet clothing. 

Sunday, as usual, was made a day of rest. But on 
Monday, December 21, they went to the mainland and 
at last chose a place to settle. They were not long in get- 
ting back to tell the company, and the same day the May- 
flower entered the harbor and the Pilgrims made a landing. 
One whole month had passed since they cast anchor near 
Cape Cod. 

They named the place Plymouth. I think you can tell 
why they loved that name. I wonder if you can tell also 
what the Pilgrims would look for in choosing a place in 
which to live. 

A good harbor, pure drinking-water from a running 
stream, and a hill near by on which to build a fort — these 
they must have, and all these they found at Plymouth. 

There were also several acres of cleared land, which had 
been used by the Indians some years before. 

As soon as the settlers had landed, everybody set to work. 
We can almost see the busy men and boys, some eagerly 
chopping down trees, others sawing trunks into logs of 



102 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



proper length, and still others dragging the logs to the places 
where they were to be used. 

All this had to be done by hand, for we must remember 
the Pilgrims brought no horses, and in fact no animals at 
all, except a dog or two. 




From a pai7iting by IV, F. Hallsall. 

The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor. 

While the men and boys were getting up a big appetite 
over their work, the women and girls were busy kindling 
fires, washing clothes, cooking food, and doing the many 
things that need to be done for the family comfort. How 
good it would be to have a home once more ! 

The first building which they put up was a rude log- 
house twenty feet square. This was to serve for the com- 
mon storehouse and for shelter until they could build sep- 
arate houses to live in. 

The logs were laid upon one another, to form the walls 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 103 

of the buildings. Then the cracks were filled with straw 
and mud, and the roof was covered with reeds. The win- 
dows were made of oiled paper. 

When, later, they built their houses, they placed them for 
safety in two rows, one on each side of the street which led 
from the harbor up the hill. At the top stood the fort, where 
they could run for protection if Indians attacked them. 

During that first winter their food was plain, and there 
was none too much of it. Bread made of wheat, rye, or 
barley was about all they had. Only once in a while, when 
some one killed a deer or a wild-fowl, did they have any 
meat to eat; for, like the planters of Jamestown, the Pil- 
grims had no chickens or cows. Cold water, too, was all 
they had to drink. They must have thought how good the 
milk which they used to have in England and Holland 
w r ould taste. 

But besides having too little food, and that not very 
good, the Pilgrims suffered much from the cold. Until their 
dwellings were finished, some had slept on board the May- 
flower. 

Scant food and lack of warm clothing, with many other 
hardships, caused much suffering. At one time only Elder 
Brewster, Captain Standish, and five others were well 
enough to take care of the sick. Standish, who was very 
gentle and kind in sickness, made an excellent nurse. He 
also cheerfully helped with the cooking, washing, and other 
household duties. 



104 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

At times there was a death every day, and at the end 
of the first winter one-half of the settlers had gone. 

Yet in spite of all this suffering, when in the spring the 
Mayflower sailed back to England, not one would leave 
Plymouth. They felt that they must do the work which 
they had set out to do, and it was not right to give up. 
How proud we may be that our first Americans were such 
fine, strong people ! 

THE PILGRIMS AND THE INDIANS 

Although they were in constant dread of attack from 
the Indians, it was nearly three months before an Indian 
showed himself at the settlement. Then, one day in March, 
a dusky stranger was seen coming down the street of the 
village. His first words were: "Wel-come, En-glish-men." 
This was Sam'o-set. Where do you suppose he learned 
those English words? 

A week later he returned with a friend named Squan'to. 
Squanto had formerly lived at Plymouth with other Indians, 
who had been swept away by a plague. That was why the 
Pilgrims found the cleared land deserted. 

Squanto was glad to get back to his old home once more. 
He liked the Pilgrims so well that he was willing to live with 
them, and he taught them many things. He showed them 
how to hunt, to catch fish, and to plant corn, and how to 
feed the soil to make it grow. 

About a week after Samoset made his first visit to Plym- 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



105 



outh, he came again, bringing the chief, Mas-sa-soit', with 
him. Captain Standish with his company of soldiers went out 
to meet the Indian chief and escort him to Governor Carver. 
This was an important meeting. The Pilgrims spread 
upon the floor of the cabin a green mat, and covered it with 
cushions for the chief and the governor to sit upon. 







^-£»P»§g 



7r>r«'X%' 



Plymouth in the Early Days. 

Amid the beating of drums and the blowing of trumpets, 
Massasoit was brought into the room where he met the Pil- 
grim governor. The two men agreed to be friends, and to 
keep peace between the white men and the red men. This 
peace lasted for more than fifty years. 

With summer came easier times. There was much less 
sickness and much more food. In the autumn they had 
good crops of corn and barley to store away, and plenty of 
wild ducks, geese, turkeys, and deer, which they brought 
down with their guns. 



106 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Late in the autumn Massasoit with ninety Indians came 
to pay a visit to Plymouth. They brought with them some 
deer, and the Pilgrims supplied other food. A three days' 
feast followed, and that was the beginning of our New Eng- 
land Thanks-giv'ing. 

This feast made the Indians and white men still better 
friends than they had ever been before. 

But not all the Indians were so friendly as Massasoit and 
his tribe. One day a Nar-ra-gan'sett brave ran through the 
village of Plymouth, and threw into the governor's house 
a bundle of arrows tied up in a snake's skin. 

"What does this mean?" the Pilgrims asked Squanto. 

"It means," said he, "that the Indians wish to make 
war upon you." 

But the Pilgrims made a very good answer. They at 
once stuffed the skin with powder and bullets and sent it 
back to the chief. 

When it came back to him in this way, he was afraid to 
touch it. He was not even willing to let it stay in his wig- 
wam. So it was sent from place to place until it came back 
again to Plymouth. 

The Pilgrims thought it wise, however, to get ready for 
Indian attacks. They built around Plymouth a palisade of 
posts ten to twelve feet high. These were set deep in the 
ground and pointed at the top. They also built on "Burial 
Hill" a large, square blockhouse, or thick-walled building, 
with holes out of which to fire their guns. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



107 



The lower part was used as a meeting-house, where meet- 
ings of all kinds were held. On Sunday it was a place of 
worship. But when 
they wished to talk 
over some plan for 
the public good, such 
as the building of a 
road or a bridge, they 
met here also on week 
days. These week- 
day meetings were 
very like our town 
meetings to-day. 

But the Pilgrims 
had other worries be- 
sides the Indians. 
They had borrowed a 
great deal of money 
when they came to 
the New World, and 
men and women alike 
had to work very hard to pay it back. Yet by trading with 
the Indians, mainly for furs, by sending furs, fish, and tim- 
ber to England, and by earning and saving in eveiy way, 
at the end of six years they had freed themselves from debt. 

Such people were bound to succeed. Although poor in 
houses and lands, they had something which was worth 




They built around Plymouth a palisade of posts. 



108 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



far more; and that was the desire and the will to do what 
was right. 

But life in the colony was hard, and their numbers grew 
but slowly. At the end of four years there were only one 
hundred and eighty persons and thirty-two houses. 



THE PURITANS COME TO NEW ENGLAND 

From time to time, news of the free life of the Pilgrims 
reached England, where the king, Charles I, was making it 

harder than ever for the Puritans. 
He believed that whatever he did as 
king was right, and that all should 
obey him without any question. 

The Puritans became so unhap- 
py that many of them gave up their 
old homes and sailed for New England 
to make new ones in a free country. 
They were not simple folk like 
the Pilgrims. Many were rich men, 
some belonged to families of high 
rank, and some had great learning. 

A small company had come over in 1628 and settled at 
Sa'lem. But in 1630 the great body of Puritans began to 
come over in throngs. Nine hundred of them, led by John 
Win'throp, a rich lawyer and country gentleman, settled 
first at Charles'town, then spread out to Bos'ton and other 
towns near by. 




John "Winthrop. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



109 



The first part of this company left England in eleven 
vessels, bringing with them horses, cattle, and many other 
things useful in settling a new countiy. 

After a voyage of nearly nine weeks they reached New 
England about the middle of June. The time of sailing had 
been carefully planned - -, * 

so that they should 
reach their new homes 
early enough to get 
ready for winter. 

But in spite of 
their foresight, all did 
not go as they had 
planned. Winter did 
not find them ready 
and they had many 
hardships to meet. The coarse food did not agree with 
them. Corn-bread, bad drinking-water, and poor shelter 
made many ill. 

Before December two hundred had died, and yet nobody 
thought of going back. " I am not sorry that I have come," 
said the leader, John Winthrop, a man of strong and beau- 
tiful character. 

When the future looked darkest, a fast-day was ap- 
pointed to ask for God's help. But on the very day before 
it, a supply ship came from England. So the fast-day was 
turned into a day of thanksgiving. 




d&i 






( .Jf J»» 

Puritans on Horseback. 



110 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

The worst was over. Soon spring brought milder 
weather, then came the early wild fruits, and soon after- 
ward the new crops. Before another winter they had 
learned how to make themselves more comfortable. 

ROGER WILLIAMS AND RHODE ISLAND 

The Puritans valued their religion more than anything 
else in the world. For its sake they had given up their 
homes in England and most of what was pleasant in their 
lives. Since their freedom of worship had cost so much, 
of course they wished to make sine of not losing it. 

They thought that, above all else, they must not let 
any other religions grow up. So they made very strict 
laws. They said: "Every one must go to the Puritan 
church." "No one may vote or take any part in making 
the laws except members of the church." 

Some of the Puritans did not like this. Among them 
was Roger Williams, a young man of gentle and noble, yet 
strong character. He was a minister, first at Salem, then 
at Plymouth, then again at Salem. 

While at Plymouth, he took a deep interest in the 
Indians. Although he was so poor that he had to earn 
his .living by farming and fishing, yet he gave much of his 
time to the red men. He studied their language and 
learned to know them well. He was kind to them in 
many ways, and they returned his love with kindness and 
good-will. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



111 



It was when he returned to Salem that he got into 
trouble with the Puritans, for he said many things they 
did not like. "You 



do not own the land 
you live on," he boldly 
declared. "You got 
your claim to it from 
the King of England. 
But as he never owned 
the land he had no right 
to give it to you." 

"You have no 
right, ' : he went on, 
"to tax people to sup- 
port a church to which 
they do not belong. 
Nor have you the right 
to make people go to 
church." 

His bold talk star- 
tled the Puritans. Of 




m 



Rogers Williams Fleeing Through the Woods. 



course, they did not like it. Such ideas might make them 
no end of trouble if Roger Williams kept on preaching them. 
So they made him leave the colony. 

Bidding good-by to his wife and children, he set out 
alone with only a compass for a guide. To keep from 
freezing, he carried an axe to chop wood, and flint and 



112 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

steel to kindle fires. His only shelter at night was a hol- 
low tree or perhaps a covering of brush. 

After many days, he reached Mount Hope, and there 
the Indians sheltered him. He spent most of the winter 
in the wigwam of his good friend, Massasoit. 

In the spring he started out in a frail canoe to a place 
where the Indians said that there was good spring water. 
He found it, and, with five or six friends who had joined 
him, made a settlement, which he called Prov'i-dence. 

Such was the beginning of Rhode Island (rode i'land) 
Colony. There at first every man was welcome and every 
man could worship as he thought best, or not at all if he 
chose. 

THOMAS HOOKER AND THE HARTFORD COLONY 

During the same year (1636) in which Roger Williams 
began the settlement of Rhode Island, Thom'as Hook'er led 
a company of settlers to the Con-nect'i-cut Valley. Like 
Roger Williams, he believed that the Puritans were wrong 
in keeping all men except church-members from voting and 
from taking part in making the laws. 

So because of this belief and for some other reasons, 
he and the members of his congregation at Watertown left 
Massachusetts to make new homes for themselves on the 
bank of the Connecticut River. 

About one hundred men, women, and children set out 
in June, driving before them one hundred and sixty cattle. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 



113 



The children must have been very tired sometimes, but 
they must have had their frolics too. We may imagine 
them gathering wild flowers and listening to the birds, and 






**v 



' :' : '' : <W ! '^i>. 







Thomas Hooker and Party on the Way to Connecticut. 



also eating their meals, as if on a picnic, under leafy branches 
of spreading trees. 

The men carried packs on their backs and guns in their 
hands. There were no roads, nor even trails of Indians or 
wild beasts to follow through this wild region. A compass 



114 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



was their only guide on their journey of more than one 
hundred miles through the woods. 

At last they reached the place where Hartford now 
stands. They were much pleased with its beauty. The 




Early Settlements in New England. 



rolling hills, the broad river with its wooded banks, the 
rich green meadows with the wigwams of the Indians, and 
the few log cabins of earlier settlers squatting here and there, 
made a restful sight for the eyes of the tired travellers. 



THE NEW HAVEN COLONY 

Two years later, another body of Puritans made a set- 
tlement thirty miles west of the Connecticut River on Long 
Island Sound. There in the spring of 1638, under the leafy 
branches of a great oak-tree, John Dav'en-port, their min- 
ister and leader, preached his first sermon. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 115 

As in Mas-sa-chu'setts, so here, none but church-mem- 
bers were allowed to vote. There were no written laws, but 
all agreed to live by the Word of God. Such was the begin- 
ning of New Haven Colony. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Who were the Pilgrims? Why did they go to Holland, and why 

did they later come to New England? 

2. Imagine yourself coming over with them on the Mayflower and 

tell about the stormy voyage. 

3. Can you tell in your own words the story of what happened to 

the ten picked men who set out on December 16 to find a 
place for a settlement? 

4. Do you know why so many of the Pilgrim settlers died during the 

first winter at Plymouth? 

5. Give an account of the meeting between Governor Carver and 

Massasoit? In what way did this meeting prove to be a 
good thing for the settlers? 

6. What do you think of Captain Miles Standish? What do you 

admire in the Pilgrims? 

7. Why did the Puritans come to America? 

8. How did they suffer during the first winter after landing? 

9. Why did they drive Roger Williams out of the colony? Do you 

think this was right? 

10. W r here did Roger Williams go then, and what did he do? What 

do you think of him? 

11. Why did Thomas Hooker and his congregation leave Massa- 

chusetts and make new homes on the Connecticut River? 
Imagine yourself with this company on the long journey 
through the woods and tell what happened. 



CHAPTER XIV 
STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 

In learning about the Spaniards and the English, we 
must not forget the part other ' countries took in settling 
America. 

The Dutch, like other nations of Europe, wanted to 
increase their trade. For this reason, in 1609, two years 
after the settlement of Jamestown, they sent out Henry 
Hudson in search of an all-water route to the Far East. 

In April of that year, in a little vessel called the Half 
Moon with a crew of about twenty sailors, he set out. First, 
he sailed in a northerly direction, believing that way would 
be shorter. But the sea was so blocked with icebergs and 
the danger was so great, that his men refused to go farther. 

So he changed his course and sailed across the Atlantic. 
He reached the New World near the mouth of the James 
River. 

Coasting along the shore to the north, he entered a broad 
inlet which he thought was a passage through America. 
It proved to be the mouth of a river, which later was named 
Hudson after him. There, in September, 1609, he cast an- 
chor. 

116 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 



117 



The Indians, who were friendly and curious, came 
aboard. They wore loose robes of deerskin and ornaments 
of copper. The pipes they smoked were copper also. They 
took a great fancy to the knives and beads which Hud- 
son had, and gave him tobacco leaves in exchange for them. 

A few of Hudson's men 
started off up the river, 
landing on its western 
shore. At once they were 
surrounded .by Indians, 
who gave them a welcome 
and made them gifts of 
tobacco and dried currants. 
But another party was not 
received in this kindly way, 
for the Indians attacked 
them and killed one man. 

About ten days after first casting anchor, Hudson him- 
self sailed up the river in the Half Moon, still looking for the 
Northwest Passage. He was delighted with the beauty of 
the country, and spoke of the land as "pleasant with grass 
and flowers and goodly trees." 

He went as far as the spot where Albany is now, but 
there he stopped, for things were not as he had hoped. It 
was plain that this river was not a strait after all. There 
being no reason why he should go farther, he turned back 
toward the open sea. 




Henry Hudson. 



118 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

While sailing down the river ; Hudson went ashore in 
the canoe of an old Indian chief. On landing he was taken 
to the chief's wigwam. It was of bark, and within had 
been made ready to receive him with honor. Two mats 
were spread for him to sit upon, and food was served in 
red wooden bowls. A part of this was two pigeons and a 
dog, which were cooked as a dainty for the white men! 
Perhaps Hudson did not wholly enjoy his meal, but he 
knew that the Indians meant to show a kindly feeling. 

Although it was not his good fortune to discover the 
Northwest Passage, Hudson had found something else quite 
as good. This was a place where the Dutch could make 
money in trade, for among the gifts which the Indians 
brought were the glossy brown skins of beavers. 

At once a trade in furs was begun. It must have been 
interesting to see the red men bringing in the beautiful 
pelts and making the Dutch understand, by a sign language, 
what things they wanted in exchange. 

THE COMING OF DUTCH SETTLERS 

The Dutch did not make a settlement at once, for we 
should remember that they were not leaving their native 
land because of religious trouble, like the Massachusetts and 
Maryland settlers. They were thrifty traders, who came 
and went between Holland and the New World simply to 
make money. 

Five years passed, after Hudson sailed up the Hudson 



STORIES DF EARLY NEW YORK 



119 



River, before even a fort was built at the south end of 
Man-hat'tan Island (1614). Around this a settlement 
slowly grew up, and the Dutch called it New Am'ster-dam. 
Not until 1623 did they attempt to plant a colony. 




Dutch Trading With the Indians. 



The Dutch named the country which they had found 
New Neth'er-land after their home land, just as the English 
settlers had named theirs New England. 

Some of the settlers made their homes on Manhattan 
Island, on which a large part of our present city of New 
York is built, and a few sailed up the Hudson River and 
built a fort where Albany now stands. Others built a fort 
on the Delaware River, and still another group sailed up 
the Connecticut and built a fort where Hartford was settled 
later. 



120 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



In 1625 two ships bringing cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep 
reached New Amsterdam. More emigrants came also, and 
soon there were two hundred settlers in the colony. 

The next year Peter Min'- 
u-it, a good and just man, 
was made governor. He man- 
aged very well. The settlers 
were contented, and the In- 
dians, being fairly treated, 
were friendly. 

The land which the settlers 
needed the governor bought 
from the Indians. Although 
he did not pay large sums, he 
gave enough to satisfy the 
Indians. You will be sur- 
prised to know that, for the 
whole island of Manhattan, 
where to-day land is so high 
that towering buildings are carried up many stories into 
the air, Peter Minuit gave about twenty-four dollars' worth 
of beads, colored cloth, and bits of glass! 

From the Indians the Dutch had nothing to fear at this 
time. By fair dealing Hudson had won their good- will, and 
by the same kind of treatment the fur traders had kept it. 

But there was still another reason why the powerful 
Ir'o-quois, who lived west of the Hudson, wanted to be 




Indian Fur Trader. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 



121 



friends with the Dutch. It so happened that in the veiy 
same year in which Hudson was sailing north on the Hud- 




Champlain killed one or two of their number. 



son River, Cham-plain', a French explorer, of whom we shall 
speak again later, was coming south from Canada on the 
lake which now bears his name. 

He travelled with a band of sixty Al-gon'quin warriors, 



122 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

who were enemies of the Iroquois. To keep the Algonquins 
friendly to himself, Champlain joined them in an attack 
upon two hundred Iroquois on the shores of Lake Champlain. 

Now, the Iroquois had never heard a gun before. So 
when Champlain fired, and killed one or two of the Iro- 
quois chiefs, the rest fled in panic. But they never forgot 
this defeat. From that day they hated the French, and 
were always glad to make them trouble and kill them when 
they could. Now you see why they wanted the help of the 
Dutch and their guns. 

But although the Indians made no trouble and Dutch 
vessels came and went, few people settled down to make 
homes here. The money to be made in the fur trade 
brought the restless, roaming traders but not the steady 
home-making farmers, who were better off in their homes 
across the sea. 

THE PATROONS 

To tempt farmers to go to New Netherland, the Dutch 
West India Company worked out a plan. They offered to 
give large tracts of lands in America to any members of the 
company who would take over, in the next four years, fifty 
grown-up settlers. 

The land might extend along the Hudson or some other 
river for sixteen miles on one side or for eight miles on both 
sides. It could also run back as far as the owner might 
wish. The owner of each tract of land was called a pa- 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 



123 



troon. He gave to the men living on his estate houses, 
farms, tools, and cattle. 

In return, the men promised to pay him a certain rent, 
and to remain on the farm where they were placed. This 
was fair, but there were some bad 
rules, for example, the men could 
not grind their corn except at the 
patroon's mill, nor hunt, nor fish, 
without his permission. 

So, in spite of getting their land 
and house for almost nothing, men 
with families were rather slow 
about coming to New Netherland. 
Other plans, then, had to be tried. 

In 1638 a most coaxing scheme 
was set before the people. Farmers 
with their families were to be 
carried across the Atlantic without 
charge. Each man was to have 

the use of a farm with its house, barn, and tools. Horses, 
cattle, sheep, and hogs were to be provided. And, best of 
all, it was to be made easy for him to become the owner 
of his little estate in five years. 

This plan worked well. Settlers began to come, and 
kept coming in larger and larger numbers. 

Not all the people by any means came from Holland. 
One reason for this was that the laws let the people worship 




A Patroon. 



124 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



as they pleased. So men flocked here from many countries, 
and it is said that as many as eighteen languages were 
spoken by the settlers. 

Fifteen years after the first settlement, New Netherland 
had about ten thousand people, sixteen hundred of whom 
lived in New Amsterdam. At this time New Amsterdam 




New Amsterdaix 



was confined to the southern part of Manhattan Island, 
south of the present Wall Street. 

Would you like to know how this street, which to-day 
is one of the busiest and richest in the world, got its name? 

As a defence against the Indians, the Dutch built a wall, 
or palisade, across the northern side of the town. The 
street which in time took its place was called Wall Street. 

In the wall was a gate-way opening into a broad high- 
way, and this to-day is the well-known Broadway of New 
York City. What would the people who built this wall 
and this gate think if to-day they could be set down in 
the midst of these rushing, thronging streets! 

In time the Hudson River came to be lined with the 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 



125 



large estates of the patroons, stretching far back into the 
country. Perhaps your teacher will read you the story of 
Sleep'y Hol'low, which tells of life on one of these Dutch 
estates. 

Here and there along other streams also were houses and 
The people from these places carried their prod- 



villages. 




in 1673. 



uce and their furs by boat to New Amsterdam, and there 
traded for such things as they needed. When the exchange 
did not come out even and there was needed a sort of 
money, wampum and beaver skins were used instead of gold 
and silver. The small purses in which we carry our money 
to-day would not have been of much use in those days! 

Life was now going better in New Netherland, but the 
Dutch settlers were, not without their troubles. We have 
seen that Hudson and the Dutch traders were just to the 
Indians. These Indians were the Iroquois, who had always 
been friendly with the Dutch. 

But the Indians around New Amsterdam were Algon- 
quins, and these tribes, as you remember, were the enemies 



126 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



of the Iroquois. For a long time the Dutch had kept the 
friendship of all the tribes. But they were now to have 
serious trouble with the Algonquins. 

In the first place, there were getting to be so many 
Dutch farmers that their roaming cattle worried the In- 
dians. In the second 
place, Kieft, the new 



governor, was not 
friendly with them. 
Matters went from bad 
to worse. 

Finally, a small band 
of Indians stole some 
pigs, and a company of 
soldiers was sent out from New Amsterdam to punish the 
tribe to which the thieves belonged. The settlers killed 
several Indian braves and burned some of the Indian crops. 
This began a war which lasted four years. It was a 
time of much terror and bloodshed, and when it came to an 
end, sixteen hundred Indians had been killed. The Dutch 
also had lost many men and had spent much money which 
they needed for other things. 




A Dutch Manor. 



PETER STUYVESANT AND HIS TROUBLES 

The next and last of the Dutch governors was Peter 
Stuy've-sant. He was a very large man, haughty, and 
commanding. He had been a brave soldier and had 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 



127 



lost a leg in battle, so that now he stumped around on 
a wooden one. 

When he became governor of New Netherland he told 
the people he would rule them "as a father does his chil- 
dren." The people thought this meant that he would 
be kind and gentle. But 
instead he treated them as 
if they could not think for 
themselves and had no 
rights of their own. 

At last he fell into 
trouble with the Swedes 
who had settled along the 
Delaware River. They 
had captured the Dutch 
fort there, "because," they 
said, "it is on our land." 

The blustering old gov- 
ernor could never allow that. So he spent a great deal of 
money getting ready a fleet, and sailed up the Delaware 
with a large body of soldiers. He captured the fort and 
forced the Swedes to give up to the Dutch as masters of 
the country. 

But this was not altogether a good thing for the Dutch. 
The colony had never had much fighting strength, because 
their ruling men would not vote money for that purpose. 
Now, after fighting the Swedes, they were weaker than ever. 




1 

Peter Stuyvesant. 



128 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



So when a few years later (1664), English war-ships ap- 
peared in the harbor, the Dutch were not strong enough to 
drive the fleet away. 

The commander of the English vessels sent an officer 
ashore demanding surrender. This was a complete surprise 

to the Dutch, for it was 
an act of war, and at 
that time England and 
Holland were at peace. 
But the English 
coveted New Nether- 
land for many reasons. 
They wanted to get 
control of its trade, and 
of its fine harbor, the 
best on the Atlantic 
Coast. 

Although the Eng- 
lish force was much 
stronger than the 
Dutch, Governor Stuyvesant, brave old soldier that he was, 
begged the people to fight for the town. 

"I would go to my grave," he cried out in a rage, as he 
stamped the floor with his wooden leg, "rather than give 
up to the English." 

"Read the letter the English commander has sent you 
and find out just what he wants," said some one. 




Early Settlements in New York and 

New Jersey. 



STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 129 

This only made him more angry, and he tore it into bits 

and threw them upon the floor. 

But he had to give up. The Dutch flag was pulled 
down, and the English flag waved in its place. 

New Netherland was now called New York, and was an 
English colony. Under the rule of the English it prospered 
and went on growing year after year. For a long time, 
however, more of the people were Dutch than English, and 
to this day, many old families are proud of their Dutch 
names. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did the Dutch send out Henry Hudson? What did he dis- 

cover? 

2. In what way did the Dutch win the good-will of the Indians? 

3. What mistake did Champlain make with the Iroquois, and how 

did the French suffer later for this mistake? 

4. Tell all you can about the patroons. 

5. Why were men with families rather slow about coming from 

Holland to New Netherland? 

6. What kind of man was Governor Stuyvesant? What do you ad- 

mire in him? 

7. Why was the name of the colony changed from New Netherland 

to New York? 



CHAPTER XV 
STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 

We have seen that the Pilgrims and Puritans went to 
New England; and the Catholics to Maryland, because they 
were punished at home for their religion. There were still 
other people living in England who were having a hard 
time because of the way they worshipped. 

In those days, you remember, people who made the 
laws in England believed that eveiybody in the country 
should go to the same kind of church. Men and women 
going to any other were punished by being fined, or thrown 
into prison, or whipped; and sometimes such persons were 
even burned at the stake. 

One body of English people who insisted on their own 
way of worship called themselves "Friends." By others 
they were nicknamed Qua'kers. 

Some of their customs were new and strange. For in- 
stance, they would not go to war, nor pay taxes to support 
war, because they believed it was wrong to fight. And 
because they believed all men were equal before the law, 
they would not doff their hats to any man, not even the king. 

130 



STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 



131 



Most of them also refused to wear fine clothing or adorn 
their houses because the}* believed in simple living. 

One of these Quakers, William Penn, was a rich man 
and the son of a powerful admiral. He did not go so far 
in his belief as some, 
for he wore handsome 
clothing and had a fine 
home. 

But he saw that the 
only way for his Quaker 
friends to have peace 
was to go to live in the 
New World ; as others 
who suffered for their 
religion had done. 

To carry out his 
plan, he used his own 
large fortune. It happened that King Charles II owed 
Penn $80,000. Now, for a king who liked to spend money 
as well as Charles II did, this was a big debt to pay. 

But Penn saw a way for the king to get rid of the debt, 
and yet not pay out a penny. 

Will you give me land instead of money?" he asked. 
Willingly," said the king. 

You see the land had cost him nothing. So he set off 
for Penn a large tract lying west of the Delaware River, 
and called it Pennsylvania, which means "Perm's woods." 




William Penn at the Age of 22 (1666) 



a 



«■ 



132 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Penn was so modest that he did not wish the country 
named for himself. So the king said, "We will name it 
for your father." 

The next year, a colony of about three thousand settled 
on the banks of the Delaware. In October of the year 
after that, Penn himself left England to join his colony. 
Bidding good-b}' to his wife and children, he sailed for 
America in the ship Welcome with one hundred passengers. 
Most of these were Quakers, who had been Penn's neigh- 
bors in England. 

After a voyage of two months they landed at New'- 
cas-tle, Delaware, where the}' were greeted with shouts of 
welcome. This was not his own colony, but some of those 
who came the year before had settled here, among the 
Swedes and Dutch. 

Penn sailed on up the Delaware River until he came to 
the mouth of the Schuyl'kill (skool-kill) River. 

Here he found a city laid out by those who had come 
before him. He named it Phil-a-del'phi-a, which means 
"City of Brotherly Love." This name showed the feeling 
which Penn had for the settlers and wished them to have 
for one another. 

The plan of the city was simple. Most of the land was 
level, and the streets crossed one another at right angles. 
They were given such names as Chestnut Street, Oak 
Street, Elm Street, from the trees of the forest which 
were cut down to make room for them. 



STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 



133 



Settlers came in such large numbers that houses could 
not be built fast enough. So for a time some of them had 
to live in caves dug in the river-banks. 

The first houses were built of logs, and were very simple. 
They had only two rooms, and no floor except the bare 
ground. But in less than 
three years, many houses 



of boards had been put 



up, and some of the 
bright-red brick of which 
Philadelphia to-day has 
so much. The city grew 
rapidly, and so did the 
whole colony. 

This was partly be- 
cause the Indians were 
friendly. Penn had made friends with them at the start. 
One day he held a meeting with them under the spreading 
branches of a large elm-tree, and together they smoked 
the pipe of peace. 

"The friendship between you and me," said Penn, "is 
not like a chain, for the chain may rust; neither is it like a 
tree, for the falling tree may break. It is as if we were 
parts of one man's body. We are all one flesh and blood." 

Of course, these words pleased the Indians, for they 
had feelings very much like those of white men. They 
replied to Penn in words as kind as his own. Handing him 




Cottage of William Penn, Fairmount Park, 
Philadelphia. 



134 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



a wampum belt of peace they said: "We will live in love 
and peace with William Penn as long as the sun and moon 
shall last." 

Penn paid the Indians for the land, although he had 
already paid the king a large sum. For he believed that 




William Penn's Treaty with the Indians. 

the Indians had rights, and he wished to deal fairly with 
them. 

He gave them knives, kettles, axes, beads, and some 
other things which made their lives easier and happier. 
These were more useful to the Indians than money. Penn 
was always kind and honest in his dealings with the men of 
the forest; and they, in their turn, were true to him. 

In the course of years, settlers from many countries 



STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 135 

came in large numbers to Pennsylvania. Englishmen, 
Swedes, Welsh, Dutch, and Germans all found their way 
here, and the colony grew so fast that there was plenty of 
work for all. 

People liked to live where the laws were wise, and where 
the}^ could worship as they pleased. This they could do in 
Pennsylvania, and the colony continued to prosper. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell all you can about the strange and new customs of the Quakers. 

2. Who was William Penn? Why did he wish to make a settlement in 

America? 

3. What name did he give his first settlement, and why? 

4. How did he treat the Indians, and how did they treat him? What 

do you admire in William Penn? 

5. Why did his colony grow rapidly? 



CHAPTER XVI 
STORIES OF EARLY GEORGIA 

In the days of which we are speaking, there were other 
troubles which needed righting besides those of religion. 
The laws about debt caused great and hopeless misery. 
When a man could not pay a debt, even if it were for only 
a small sum, he was thrown into prison, and if he had no 
friends to help him out, he usually stayed there the rest of 
his life. Many died early, of starvation, filthy quarters, and 
because they lost hope. 

Among the rich men of high birth who lived at this 
time was James O'gle-thorpe. He was a brave soldier and 
a noble and tender-hearted man. He resolved to do some- 
thing to help the poor men who suffered from the hard and 
stupid laws. 

His plan was to pay the debts of the most worthy, and 
then set them free, if they would agree to go to America. 
"There," said this kind man, "they can begin life over 
again." 

Besides a wish to help poor men, he had something else 

in mind. He wished to plant a colony far to the south, that 

136 



STORIES OF EARLY GEORGIA 



137 



would be strong enough to ward off attacks by the Spaniards 
in Florida. 

Early in 1733, he sailed with his men to the southern 
coast of North America. Choosing a high bluff near the 
bank of the Savannah River, he made 
a settlement and called it Savannah. 
He named his colony Georgia, in 
honor of King George II. 

At first Oglethorpe took up his 
quarters in a tent, sheltered by four 
beautiful pine-trees, and there he 
lived for more than a year. 

Like Penn, he treated the red 
men fairly, and won their friendship. 

As a token of good feeling one day 
they handed him a buffalo skin, on the inside of which was a 
picture of the head and feathers of an eagle. " Here is a little 
present," they said. "The feathers of the eagle are soft, and 
this means love. The skin of the buffalo is warm, and this 
means protection. Therefore, love and protect our people." 

Such was the beginning of a lasting friendship between 
Oglethorpe and the Indians. They were friendly to him 
because he was just and kind to them. They lived in peace 
with him, just as the Indians farther north lived in peace 
with William Penn. 

To bring more money into the colony, he began to trade 
with the Indians for fur. 




James Oglethorpe. 



138 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 







He noticed many mulberry-trees, 
and that made him think of 
raising silk-worms. 



Then he noticed that there were many mul'ber-ry-trees 

growing in Georgia, and that made him think of raising silk- 
worms; for, as you know, mul- 
berry leaves are the food which 
silk-worms like best. After a little 
the people began to weave silk; 
and then they sent a dress pattern 
to the queen, who had it made 
up into a gown and wore it. 

Oglethorpe honestly tried to 
do everything possible for the 

good of the settlers; but they did not like his way of 

governing. He gave them no share in making the laws. 
There were also other things they did not like. For 

instance, he would not 

have any rum made or 

sold, because he thought 

it would bring harm to 

the people. Neither 

would he have negro 

slaves in the colony, 

because he wished only 

hard-working white 

men to live there. 
The settlers, however, 

said they needed the rum, and that the climate was so hot and 

bred such fevers that they must have negroes to do the work. 




Early Settlements in Georgia. 



STORIES OF EARLY GEORGIA 139 

At last they were allowed to have their own way. But 
the men who had been failures in England were not the 
kind to start right as colonists in the New World. Georgia, 
therefore, did not prosper at first. It has long since, how- 
ever, become one of the great States of our Union. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did James Oglethorpe wish to plant a colony in America? 

2. How did he make friends with the Indians? 

3. What made him think of raising silk-worms? 

4. What do you admire in James Oglethorpe? 






CHAPTER XVII 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 



??**> 



NEW ENGLAND 

Now that we have seen something of the way in which 
the colonies started; let us go back on a make-believe jour- 
ney and see how the people lived in those early days. 

First, we will visit New England. Here we shall find 

many villages. In some the 
houses are built along both 
sides of a road ; in others, they 
are grouped around a central 
green. But we are pretty 
sure to find the meeting-house, 
the block-house, the minister's 
house, and the inn not far 
apart. 
When Indians are close by the village, there are three or 
four block-houses, with palisades around them. For, in 
times of danger, the families living outside the village come 
here to spend the night. If during the day some one gives 
warning that the Indians are on the war-path, all the men, 
women, and children who live in the outlying cabins come 

140 







^r-J7~ 



*tt 



A Block-House. 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 141 

flocking to the nearest block-house. Let us hope that this 
will not happen during our visit. 

Here and there we see some newer houses of brick and 
stone, and if we should come at a later time we should 
find rich merchants and ship-owners living in fine houses 
with costly furniture. But most of the dwellings we see 
now are rough wooden cabins, containing only two rooms, 
a living-room and a kitchen, with the chimney between. 

The people seem glad to see us and ask us in. 

What huge fireplaces! Here is one big enough to take 
in a great log six feet long and three feet thick. But the 
people tell us that even when the flames roar up the chim- 
ney, the ink freezes on their pens a few feet away from 
the fire! 

What would happen if the fire should go out? There 
are no matches, of course. They tell us that at night they 
cover the glowing coals over with ashes, so that the fire 
will keep. 

Does it ever go out? Yes, sometimes, and then one of 
the children runs to a neighbor's and brings home a pan of 
red coals or a burning stick to relight it; or sparks are 
struck from flint into a tinder-box or into diy leaves to 
start a little blaze. 

It is nearly noon when we arrive, and in front of the 
fire the meat or fowl for dinner is being roasted. It hangs 
by a hempen string from a hook above. A child keeps the 
string turning, and sometimes the housewife twists it and 



142 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



lets it untwist again. Perhaps you are looking for a crane, 
or rod on which to hang kettles, such as your grandmother 
may have told you about. This has not yet come into use. 




One of the children runs to a neighbor's and brings home 
a burning stick. 



When we sit down to the table, we must make no re- 
marks about the simple furnishings. 

The table is a long board, about three feet wide, with a 
bench on either side for seats. There are no plates, but the 
food is served on wooden blocks, ten or twelve inches 
square, and three or four inches thick, scooped out in the 
centre something like shallow bowls. They are called 
trenchers. 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 143 

No forks either! We will eat with our fingers, as the 
others do. 

And what a queer drinking-cup ! It might be iron or 
leather, but this seems to be horn. Pass it on to the one 
next you, for there is only one for the whole family. How 
good the food tastes! 

After dinner, perhaps the family will let us go about 
and see them at work. 

They are very busy people. The farmers have to work 
very hard, for their soil is poor and rocky. 

They also make most of their furniture, cooking utensils, 
and farming tools in the house or in little workshops close 
by. They have only the simplest tools and everything is 
rudely made. 

There are grist-mills to grind the corn and saw-mills 
to make the lumber, both run by the small streams which 
rush down the hillside. 

If the village is near the coast, we shall find some fisher- 
men who make their living by catching cod or whale. We 
shall also see some ship-building going on, for it is easy to 
get good timber in the large forests. 

THE BOYS AND GIRLS AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL 

The mother, too, is veiy busy, for she does many things 
which nowadays are done outside the home. Besides cook- 
ing and keeping the house in order, she makes clothes for 
all the family, and even makes the cloth in the first place 1 



144 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



The wool and the flax are raised on the little farm, and 
spun and woven by her into cloth. Perhaps she will turn 
the spinning-wheel for you to show how the wool or flax is 

How it whirs and hums! 



drawn out into long threads. 




The Spinning- Wheel. 

Of course, you will want to see what the children are 
doing. The girls help their mothers in many ways. They 
learn to cook, to mould candles, to make soap, to milk the 
cows, and to make butter and cheese. They work in the 
gardens, and pluck the geese to get feathers for pillows and 
feather-beds. They are also learning to spin, weave, dye, 
and make clothing. Perhaps you know more about books, 
but I doubt if you could keep house as well ! 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 



145 




Their school-house is a rude log hut. 



The boys are as busy helping their fathers as the girls 
in helping their mothers. They chop and saw wood, plant 
and weed the fields, feed the pigs, water the horses, clean 
the stables, and do many kinds of work of which most of 
you boys know nothing. 

Of course, the children 
go to school, too. As you 
remember, one reason why 
the Pilgrims left Holland 
was that they might bring 
up their children in their 
own way. From the first," 
they have taken great pains 
to educate them. So have the Puritans, and at a very 
early day public schools were started — so that eveiy town 
has its school. 

It is kind of the children to ask us to visit their school- 
house. It does not look at all like your big building. It 
is a rude log hut, and the seats are long slabs from sawed 
logs, with the flat side up, raised on sticks. 

There are no black-boards nor maps on the wall. The 
children have no slates and few pencils. Some of them are 
doing their sums on birch bark, for paper is very scarce. 
The boys and girls, at home and at school, have very few 
books. A Bible, a catechism, a hymn-book, and a primer 
are about all. Yet the children learn to read and write. 

Perhaps the best time of the day is when school and 



146 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



work are over, and all sit down for the evening. How cheer- 
ful then the big fireplace looks with its high-backed seat on 




The big fireplace with its high-backed seat on either side. 

either side! Here the children sit, listening to the talk of 
the grown-ups, or perhaps cracking nuts while a row of 
roasting apples sputters before the fire. 

When bedtime comes, and the children leave their 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 147 

warm, cosey corner, they do not walk over a soft carpet, 
nor even over a wooden floor. Perhaps there is a rug 
or the skin of an animal over the bare earth. While they 
sleep, the snow often sifts in through cracks in the wall, 
making tiny drifts before morning. 

THE PURITAN SABBATH 

I think perhaps you will want to see how these children 
of long ago spent their Saturdays and Sundays. Saturday 
is a very busy day. Everything must be made ready for 
Sunday, because on that day no cooking is allowed and very 
little work of any kind. 

The Puritans are very strict about this. The minute 
the sun goes down their Sabbath begins. All work and 
play must be put aside, for the Sabbath must be a day 
of rest. 

When nine o'clock in the morning comes, a drum, bell, 
or horn is sounded. Then each family starts for the meet- 
ing-house, the father and mother walking in front of their 
children. At church we shall see nearly every one who is 
not sick, for a man who stays away a month without a good 
reason is punished. 

If there is danger from Indians, a sentinel stands on 
guard at the door of the meeting-house, and each man sits 
with his gun beside him. 

The sermon is sometimes two or three hours long. The 
time is kept by an hour-glass which the sexton turns at the 



148 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

end of eveiy hour. We are a little tired when the service is 
over. 

But we must not think that the New England people 
spend all their time in work and worship. Life for the 
Puritan children is by no means without play. There is 
plenty of hunting and fishing, and in winter there are lively 
snowball fights and skating. In summer the younger chil- 
dren roll hoops, spin tops, and play at leap-frog and see-saw. 
Indoors there are merrymakings with games like hide-and- 
go-seek and blind-man's-buff. 

If the older people invite us to any of their gatherings, 
it will be to a house-raising or corn-husking party, or per- 
haps to a spinning-bee or a quilting-bee or an apple-paring. 
For they had their good times helping each other in this 
way. 

If we should happen to be there at Thanksgiving time, 
which came after the corn and pumpkins and apples were 
stored away for the winter, we should find the table loaded 
with good things to eat, such as turkey, chicken, pudding, 
pies, nuts, raisins, and other things that make us hungry 
even to name. 

One reason why strangers are made so welcome is that 
the settlers see very little of the people outside of their own 
villages and towns. It is not easy to go from place to 
place, and it takes a great deal of time. There are no 
roads across the country, — nothing but Indian trails, so 
that people have to go on horseback. But between the 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 149 

settlements that are near the water, they go in "dugouts" 
or small boats. 

How would you like to change places with these boys 
and girls of the New England of long ago? 

THE SOUTH 

If now we take a trip to the South, we shall find life in 
Virginia and Maryland different in many ways from that 
in New England. 

Here the people are not living on small farms, rather 
near together, but on big plantations, spreading over many 
acres. 

The first houses of the early settlers were cabins, much 
like those of New England, but built loose and open, for it 
is warmer here. 

But at the time of our visit, there are many rich planters 
living in two-story houses of wood or brick. Very pleasant 
they look with their vine-clad porches in front, and wide 
hallways inside. They are called man'sions. 

Near the planter's house are little cabins, squatting in 
the midst of gardens and poultry-yards. These are for 
slaves, and about them the little black children romp and 
play at all hours of the day. There, also, are the stable, the 
barn, the smoke-house, and other needed buildings, so that 
each plantation is a little village by itself, with its own 
blacksmith, wheelwright, shoemaker, doctor, overseer, and 
so on. 



150 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



If we are invited into the "big house/' we shall not find 
carpeted floors, unless our visit is made a hundred years or 
so after the first settlement. But we may find rugs, and 
handsome furniture,— tables, side-boards, four-posted bed- 
steads, and other pieces bought from English merchants. 




A Southern Mansion. 



The family uses pewter dishes every day, but there are some 
shining silver pieces on the side-board. 

The cooking is done over a fireplace, just as in New 
England, and cakes of corn-meal or, "pones," are baked in 
the hot ashes. 

We see the spinning-wheel and flax-wheel in many 
homes, and also moulds in which candles are made. For 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 



151 



candle-light is the only evening light, except that from the 
blazing wood in the fireplace. 

Much of the clothing, however, and many of the uten- 
sils for house and farm are brought from England, in ex- 
change for the planter's tobacco. 




sSrf 88 ^.'^^ 



V>affffl 






A Typical Log Cabin of the South. 

It may be our good luck to see a ship from England 
come in while we are here. At these times everybody is 
excited and happy. For it brings not only needed things 
for which the people have long been waiting, but also news 
from friends in the mother-country, and sometimes, best of 
all, the friends themselves. What glad meetings they must 
be and how everybody must talk and laugh at once! 



152 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



We cannot go to school with these children, for, on these 
big plantations, they live too far apart to go to a common 
school as in New England. Many of the poorer children 
are growing up without learning to read and write. But 
perhaps the planter's children will show us how they study. 




Tables, Chairs, Four-posted Bedstead. 

They are taught at home by tutors or clergymen. When 
they grow older, some of the boys will go to Europe to 
study further. 

There are many men in the South who read a great 
deal ; for the planter can live without working with his own 
hands, and has much time for books. Some of them have 
fine libraries. 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 153 

Their sports are different from those in New England. 
They are veiy fond of riding to the hunt. The wild woods 
are full of game, and no Southern youth is thought manly 
until he is a good rider and hunter. How exciting it is 
when a fox runs past, followed a little later by a pack of 
hounds in full chase and a group of horsemen riding fast and 
jumping the ditches and fences in their path! 

On the day of a horse-race people come nocking from far 
awav. Besides the horse-race, there are hurdle-races and 
other lively sports, with greased poles and greased pigs, to 
entertain the crowd. 

These people do not keep Thanksgiving Day, but they 
make a great deal of Christmas. Then all is gay and bright 
in the planter's house. There is much feasting, which is 
followed in the evening by dancing and music. What a 
pretty sight it is ! 

NEW YORK 

Before coming back from our journey let us go to early 
New York. Here all is quite different from either New 
England or the South, because in those colonies most of 
the people were English, while here they are mostly Dutch. 

Some live in towns where trade is carried on. Yet many 
live on farms larger than those of New England, but not so 
large as the Southern plantations. 

In the towns we find a few cabins of early settlers, but 
most of the Dutch houses have stoops in front, where neigh- 



154 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



bors like to visit and gossip. The houses stand with their 
gabled ends toward the street, and at the back is a garden 
with vegetables and flower-beds. 

It is the fashion in New Amsterdam to sit out-doors as 
much as the weather allows, on the stoop or in arbors or 

summer-houses in the gardens. 
The men smoke their pipes and 
tell stories while the women knit 
or sew. 

If we visit a patroon's estate, 
we shall see as we draw near big 
windmills, like those in Holland, 
slowly turning their big white 
canvas sails in the wind. Near 
the grand house we shall find 
large gardens, bright with splen- 
did tulips, lilies, and other beau- 
tiful blossoms; for the Dutch are very fond of flowers. 

As we enter, the huge fireplace reminds us of those we 
saw in New England. And we see again the spinning-wheel 
and hand-loom. But the rest of the rich furniture is large 
and heavy. 

The chief piece is the great chest of drawers and shelves 
set on casters. We are allowed to look in, and we see the 
finest pieces of family silver, choice dishes, and other costly 
treasures. There are other chests too, some for linen and 
clothing. There is a small one of very handsome wood with 




Early Dutch Windmill. 



LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 



155 



knobs of glass or silver or even gold. It is for trinkets and 
small pieces of table-ware. 

But even in this handsome house we see no carpet. 
The floors are kept clean by constant scrubbing, and in 
some rooms they are sprinkled with 
sand made into straight or wavy lines 
by the broom. 

The table is loaded with good 
things to eat, for all Dutch women 
are noted for their cooking. There 
are crullers and cookies, tarts and 
jellies, cream dishes, preserved fruits, 
and many other things which make 
us hungry to think about. To drink, 
there is buttermilk or beer. 

In the bedroom we see high beds 
showing finely carved legs and posts. Here are little steps 
up which you must mount if you are to sleep in this fine 
bed. Then down, down you will sink into the soft 
feathers, forgetting all about the outside world. 

Although the men of this colony seem slow and easy- 
going, nearly all are workers. They are honest and saving, 
and many have become rich. Perhaps the ship-owners 
and traders make the most money, for just as the South 
sends ship-loads of tobacco to Europe, so New York 
sends cargoes of fur in exchange for things made across 
the sea. 




The Great Chest of Drawers 
Set on Casters. 



156 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

The little Dutch children go to school, for from the first 
the settlers have taken much interest in having their chil- 
dren taught. 

There are more holidays here than in New England. 
The people take life more easily than the Puritans. They 
are fond of dress, of sports, and merrymakings. In the 
country they go to spinning-bees, house-raisings, corn-husk- 
ings, and dancing-parties; in the towns they enjoy horse- 
racing, bowling, and picnics. 

They make much of Christmas, New Year's, and Easter. 
They gave us our Santa Claus for Christmas; they started 
the custom of making calls upon New Year's Day; they 
were the first to color eggs for Easter. 

Perhaps after all you would have liked best to live in 
"little old New York." 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell what you can about the huge fireplaces in the early New Eng- 

land houses and about the way the fire was kept going. 

2. How did the boys and girls help their fathers and mothers? 

3. Tell all you can about their schools. 

4. Imagine yourself going to church in New England, and tell about 

what you see there. 

5. What kind of amusements did the older people and the young 

people have? 

6. Imagine yourself in Maryland or Virginia in the early days and 

tell all you can about the planter's house and its surround- 
ings. 

7. Why were the people so glad to see a ship come in from Eng- 

land? 






LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 157 

8. What were the sports in the South? 

9. Tell all you can about the grand house of the patroon. How was 

it furnished? 

10. What kind of cooking did the Dutch like? 

11. What do you know about Dutch sports and holidays? 



CHAPTER XVIII 
FATHER MARQUETTE 

Thus far we have not said much about the French 
people in the New World. But we must not think that 
there were none here during all the years when the English 
were planting settlements along the Atlantic coast. 

You remember how Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence 
in search of the Northwest Passage to China, and how 
Champlain fought in the battle with Iroquois Indians on 
the shore of Lake Champlain. 

This same Champlain had planted a French colony at 
Quebec. Indeed, he did so much there for his country that 
he has been called "the father of New France." 

At first the French came in small numbers. They were 
mostly traders in furs, although some made a living by cod- 
fishing and some by farming. They were very friendly 
with the Indians. They joined them in their sports and 
in their ways of living. They sometimes even married In- 
dian squaws. 

But besides the trader, in fur and the soldier with his 
musket, there were in the French settlements many Cath- 
olic priests. Some were called Jes'u-its. These men did 

158 



FATHER MARQUETTE 



159 



not come to the New World to make money, but to make 
Christians of the Indians. 

They went from village to village through the wild 
forest, in summer paddling the streams and lakes in their 
birch-bark canoes, and in winter 
skimming lightly and rapidly 
along on snow-shoes. 

They passed through many 
dangers. Often they suffered 
from hunger and cold. Some of 
them were cruelly tortured, and 
some were burnt at the stake. 
But those who were spared kept 
faithfully on with the good 
work. 

One of these brave priests was 
Father Mar-quette'. He came to 
Canada nearly sixty years after 
Champlain made the settlement 
at Quebec. From there he went 

far to the west, and on the north side of the Strait of 
Mack'i-nac built a little bark chapel, where he worked 
faithfully to make Christians of the red men. 

One day an Indian hunter told him of a great river lying 
still farther to the west. Father Marquette kept thinking 
of it and of the work he might do in the Indian villages 
along its banks. After a while he made up his mind to go 




Statue of James Marquette. 



160 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



in search of this river. Along with him went a fur-trader, 
Lou'is Jo'li-et. 

In May, 1673, with five trained woodsmen, they started 
on their long journey. Smoothly they glided over the blue 



'''*'"•;„"♦? -o\ % 



%^~r'--MWx&.*~ 




The priest, in his long black robe, in one canoe, and Joliet in 

the other. 



waters of Lake Michigan in two bark canoes, well supplied 
with smoked meat and Indian-corn. The priest, in his long 
back robe, sat in one canoe, and Joliet, wearing a hunting- 
suit of buckskin and a fur cap, in the other. 

When the shadows of late afternoon fell, they went 



FATHER MARQUETTE 161 

ashore. Gathering wood, they kindled a fire, took the food 
out of the canoes, and turned them up so that they could 
creep under them for a shelter at night. 

On either side of the fire they drove two forked sticks 
firmly into the ground, and across them laid a green log. 
Here they hung their kettle and boiled some corn, and 
over the blazing logs, on long-handled forks made of 
green sticks, they broiled the fish they had caught during 
the day. 

Their active day in the open air must have made this 
simple meal taste like a royal feast. 

After supper they smoked their pipes and talked, and 
then turned in for the night. Wrapping themselves in their 
blankets, with their heads sheltered by the overturned 
canoes and their feet stretched out toward the fire, they 
went to sleep. 

THE FRENCH EXPLORERS AND THE INDIANS 

Travelling in this way, they passed on to the head of 
Green Bay and, entering Fox River, soon came upon an 
Indian town. Here they asked for guides, who showed 
them the way through the forest to the Wis-con'sin River. 

Once more launching their canoes, they paddled down- 
stream. A week later they entered the mighty Mississippi, 
of which the Indians far back in Mackinac had told them. 
No white man had ever been there before. 

Wishing to explore the river still further, they made 



162 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

their way slowly downstream, and at length reached the 
mouth of the Arkansas. 

One day, as they were about to land, they suddenly 
found themselves in great danger. A band of young braves, 
with tomahawks and war-clubs raised over their heads, 
rushed toward the Frenchmen at the river-bank as if they 
were going to murder them. 

But the good Father Marquette calmly held high the pipe 
of peace, and the older Indians, calling back the youths, 
became friendly and received the white men in a kindly 
way. 

On their way farther down the river, the explorers 
visited other Indian villages. But as the natives were not 
friendly to them, they decided to return. They feared that 
if they should go further, they might be killed by Indians 
or captured by Spaniards. 

They had already learned from the Indians that the 
Mississippi flowed into the Gulf of Mexico and not into the 
Pacific Ocean. The stream, therefore, was not the passage 
to the Pacific which they were seeking. 

Turning northward, they travelled back toward Green 
Bay, which they reached safely after having been away four 
months. They had made a journey of more than twenty- 
five hundred miles. In so doing, they had given France 
a claim to a vast territory in the New World, on the ground 
that Frenchmen had discovered it. 



FATHER MARQUETTE 163 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell all you can about the work of the Catholic priests among the 

Indians. How did many of these priests suffer? 

2. Why did Father Marquette make his long journey down the 

Mississippi River? 

3. Imagine yourself with him and tell about how the little company 

of Frenchmen spent the night on the shore. 

4. How did this long journey help the French people? What do you 

admire in Father Marquette? 



CHAPTER XIX 
ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 

The story of Marquette's voyage made a stir in France. 
Already the French had control of the St. Lawrence River. 
If now they could get control of the Mississippi also, they 
might build up a trade which would pour vast sums into 
the nation's treasury and make France veiy rich. 

To do this, a young Frenchman, La Salle, gave the best 
years of his life. He was only twenty-three years old when 
he came to the New World. He too had hopes of finding 
the Northwest Passage, but meanwhile there were two great 
plans which he wished to carry out. 

One was to build a chain of trading posts along the Great 
Lakes and down the Mississippi River; and the other was 
to plant a French colony and fort at the mouth of the 
Mississippi. 

After long and carefLil planning, he built a small vessel, 
the Griffin, on the Ni-ag'a-ra River, to carry him and his 
crew through the lakes on their way to the Mississippi. 

They started in August, 1679. The voyage was a stormy 
one, but they reached Green Bay in September. 

Here La Salle found a large quantity of furs, which 

164 



ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 165 

some of his men had gone ahead to collect for him. He 
loaded them on the Griffin and sent her back to Niagara, 
for he expected by selling the furs to get money to pay 
for his journey down the Mississippi. 

Not waiting for the return of the Griffin, La Salle, with 




From a painting by Carlton T. Chapman. 

Launching the Griffin. 

fourteen men and four canoes, went ahead on his journey. 
They paddled down the west side of Lake Michigan as far as 
the St. Joseph River. Landing here they built a fort, and 
then went on to the Il-li-nois' country, where they built 
another fort. 

All this time La Salle was expecting news of the Griffin. 
As day after day passed he grew anxious, and finally gave 



166 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



up hope. Indeed, he never heard from the little vessel again. 
But he must have a ship, so he planned to go back to Canada. 
Leaving a few men to guard the forts which he had 
built, and taking four Frenchmen, an Indian hunter, a sup- 
ply of powder and shot and blankets, and skins for mocca- 
sins, he started (March 
1, 1680) for Canada. 

It was a terrible jour- 
ney. Sometimes the 
streams were frozen, and 
they had to drag the 
canoes on sledges. At 
other times the ice was 
not thick enough to bear 
their weight, but too 
thick for them to break 
a passage for the ca- 
noes, which then had to 
be carried on the men's 
shoulders through the 
woods. 

When they reached 
the St. Joseph River, they struck out across country. The 
woods were thick and full of danger. Thorny underbrush tore 
their clothing into shreds and cut their faces and hands. 
For three days they endured great suffering. Then a rapid 
journey of two days more brought them to a marshy country. 




For sixty-five days this painful journey lasted. 



168 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



One night they took off their drenched clothing, and, 
wrapping themselves in blankets, slept on a dry hill. But 







Here, in the name of the French king, he planted a column and a cross. 

in the morning they had to build a fire to thaw their 
frozen clothes before they could put them on. 

For sixty-five da) r s this painful journey lasted. 

Yet the end of La Salle's journey did not bring the end 



ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 169 

of his troubles. When he got back to the Illinois country 
with fresh supplies, he could find neither the forts nor the 
men he had left there. Perhaps the men had been capt- 
ured and the forts destroyed by the Indians. 

LA SALLE REACHES THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI 

So again he had to make his way back to Canada to 
get a vessel there, but he could not get one. Then, in spite 
of all discouragements, he started out for the third time, 
saying, "We will go even in canoes." 

Two years and a half had passed since his first start 
in the Griffin. At last (February, 1682) he was ready. 
Then, with twenty-three Frenchmen and thirty-one Indians, 
he began his journey down the Mississippi. His little fleet 
of bark canoes made a picture far different from the one he 
had seen in his mind when building the Griffin. But it was 
the best he could do. 

After some weeks, he reached the Gulf of Mexico and 
landed. Here, in the name of the French king, he planted 
a column and a cross, and claimed all the land drained by 
the Mississippi River and its branches. He called it Lou- 
is'i-an'a in honor of Louis XIV, King of France. 

La Salle had carried out the first part of his plan — that 
of building forts and trading posts along his route. Now 
it remained to found a colony at the mouth of the Mis- 
sissippi. 

To get help for this, he had to go to France. His plan 



170 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



met with favor there, and with men and supplies he sailed 
back to America in the summer of 1684. 

But new trouble awaited him. He missed the mouth 
of the Mississippi, and landed some four hundred miles to 

the west of it on the 
coast of what is now 
Texas. 

Here he built a fort. 
Then trials came thick 
and fast. The Indians 
attacked him. For 
lack of food, many of 
his men became sick, 
and a large number 
died. He was the only 
one who did not lose 
heart. 

Day after day he 
kept looking for help 
from France, but it did 
not come. For two 
years he fought like a 
hero with dangers and hardships. Then it was plain that 
something must be done at once to save the colony. So 
the iron-willed La Salle resolved to go to Canada for sup- 
plies. 

In January, 1687, with seventeen men and five horses, 




One morning one of tliein shot him dead. 



ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 171 

he started on the long, perilous journey north from Texas 
to Canada through the trackless forest. He alone had 
faith in ever reaching the end of the journey. 

The men were afraid. To them the forest meant dis- 
ease, famine, Indians, wild beasts, and heat or cold too 
intense to bear. They cared nothing for their heroic 
leader. In fact, they had already suffered so much in fol- 
lowing him that they had come to hate him. 

Since there was no other way of escape, they planned 
to murder him; and one morning, as he came forward to 
speak, one of them shot him dead. This was about two 
months after they had left the fort. 

Such was the end of one of the bravest and boldest of 
the French explorers. Although he was not able to carry 
out his plans, he did much for his country. He gave France 
a better right to claim a large part of the American continent. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What two great plans did La Salle wish to carry out? Did he 

succeed? x 

2. Think of yourself as having been with him in his dangerous journey 

through the woods in the spring of 16S1, and tell what hap- 
pened. 

3. Tell all you can about the trials of La Salle and his men at the fort 

in Texas. 

4. Why did his men kill him? What do you think of him? 



CHAPTER XX 

STORIES OP THE NEW ENGLANDERS AND THE 

INDIANS 

While the French were exploring Canada and the West 
and were living mostly as traders among the Indians, the 
English were planting settlements along the Atlantic Coast 
from New England to Georgia. 

Most of them paid the Indians for their land; but the 
red men did not know at first that the English would cut 
down the forests, and so take away their hunting-grounds. 

When they came to understand this, they seized the 
first excuse for trying to drive them off again. So there 
was much fighting between the English and the red men. 
A large part of this took place in New England. 

Soon after Thomas Hooker and his company came to 
the Connecticut Valley, they had a war with the Pequot 
Indians, a fierce and powerful tribe then living in the 
southern part of what is now Connecticut. 

These Indians killed two traders from Massachusetts, 
and stole their goods. When the people in Massachusetts 
tried to punish them, the Indians began to torture and 

172 



STORIES OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS 



173 



murder all the men, women, and children they could lay 
their hands on. They killed over thirty, and the settlers 
in the valley of the Connecticut saw that they must either 
conquer the Pequots or leave the country. 




^^sm^' 1 **^ 



They sailed down the Connecticut River. 



So they prepared at once to send a body of men against 
the Pequot fort. They sailed down the Connecticut River 
and along the coast eastward, landing near the mouth of 
the Thames River. There they pitched their tents for the 



night. 



174 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



Before daybreak the next morning, they advanced 
slowly and silently upon the Indians, who were still asleep 
in their stronghold. This was a village of wigwams, sur- 



£fc-. 




This was a village of wigwams, surrounded by a palisade. 

rounded by a palisade, ten or twelve feet high, having only 
two doors, each just wide enough for one man to pass 
through. 

The first alarm was the barking of a dog; next came 
the cry of a waking Indian. Quickly the white soldiers 
hurried to the openings to keep the Indians from escaping. 
Some rushed into the fort and others threw fire-brands 
among the wigwams from the outside and set them on fire. 

The red men fought bravely, but in vain. Many were 
burned alive, and others were killed as they rushed to the 
gates or jumped over the palisade. Only fourteen survived, 
of whom seven were captured. The others escaped. 



STORIES OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS 



175 



KING PHILIP S WAR 

It was some forty years before New England had any 
further serious trouble from the Indians. Then a very able 
chief, called by the English 
"King Phil'ip," made a last 
mighty effort to free the land 
from the whites. 

King Philip was the son and 
successor of Massasoit, who, 
as you remember, made peace 
with Governor Carver in Plym- 
outh. Philip himself opened 
the war in June, 1675, on the 
little village of Swan'sea, a 
group of forty houses not far 
from his home. While the peo- 
ple were gathered in the meet- 
ing-house to pray for peace, a 
band of his Indians stole into 

the town and set fire to two of the houses. Then they 
killed men, women, and children, and drove off the cattle. 

During the following spring, the Plymouth colony was 
set upon by Indians, and many houses were burned. 

This thoroughly aroused the colonists. Every settler in 
New England, able to carry a musket, took up arms, and 
the Indians soon had the worst of it. Their fields were laid 




King Philip. 



176 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

waste, and, without food, many of them lost courage and 
had to give up. 

To bring the war to an end, a great fighter, Captain 
Church, was put at the head of a large force. From that 
time on Philip was hunted from one hiding-place to an- 
other, until at last he made his way to Mount Hope, in 
the Rhode Island swamp, the home of his childhood. 

Here Captain Church defeated the Indians and took 
Philip's wife and son captive. Philip himself came near 
losing his life. "My heart breaks," he cried in bitterness. 
"Now I am ready to die!" He escaped, however, and 
found shelter in an Indian camp. 

But Captain Church followed close upon him and with 
his men surrounded the camp. While trying to get away, 
Philip was shot dead. 

This put an end to King Philip's War, which was a 
costly one to the English settlements. Twelve or thirteen 
of the towns of Massachusetts and Plymouth had been de- 
stroyed, and nearly one thousand men slain. 

But in central and southern New England the power of 
the Indians was forever broken. They did no further harm, 
except, as we shall see in the next chapter, in their raids 
with the French on the northern frontier. 



STORIES OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS 177 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Do you understand why there was much fighting between the 

English and the Indians? 

2. Tell all you can about the attack upon the Pequot fort. 

3. What did King Philip try to do in his war against the New England 

settlers? 

4. How did the war end? What do you think of King Philip? 



CHAPTER XXI 
STORIES OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 

Now let us go back to a time seven years after William 
Perm settled Pennsylvania and La Salle reached the mouth 
of the Mississippi. These two events happened about the 
same time. We shall find England and France at war. 
This war is the first of four long and bitter wars between 
these two countries. 

In America the English and French colonies took up the 
fight. Let us see what kind of war the settlers of the new 
country carried on. 

The French would begin the fighting. Their method 
was to stir up the Indians on the border. Then the red 
men would steal through the silent forests, and, waiting for 
nightfall, would attack the villages and cabins where the 
English settlers lay asleep. The sleepers awoke to be killed 
outright, or tortured to death, or carried off as prisoners. 

One of the attacks was made upon Schenectady (1690). 
Picture to yourself the sleeping settlement. A palisade sur- 
rounds the village, but, as the settlers are not expecting an 

attack, no sentinels guard the gates, which in fact are not 

178 



STORIES OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 179 

even closed. As make-believe sentinels, two snow-men stand 
in front of one of them. 

It is a little before midnight, and a party of French 
and Indians are stealing quietly upon the fort, stopping 



v ""'</■' ' ';_^- 




Indians are stealing quietly upon the fort, stopping now and then to listen. 

now and then to listen. They enter one of the open gates 
and silently file about the village until they entirely sur- 
round it. Then suddenly the warwhoop rings out, and the 
Indians begin their deadly work. 

In a few minutes the village is on fire. Most of the 
people are slaughtered or made captive. The rest, with 
but little clothing, flee through a raging snow-storm to 



180 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



Albany, seventeen miles away. Twenty-five die on the 
way from cold and hardship. What a night of terror! 

Other attacks followed. Seven years later (1697), the 




* ¥■ "'' ' 



Thev forced the mother and nurse to march with them toward Canada. 



Indians attacked Haverhill, Massachusetts. Forty of the 
settlers were killed or captured, and nine were burned to 
death. 

When the Indians began the attack, Thomas Dus'tin 
was riding on horseback from Haverhill to his farm outside 



STORIES OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 181 

the town. On seeing the Indians, he hurried back to his 
home to save his wife and seven children. 

"Children/' he cried, "run for your lives to the block- 
house." They obeyed, and he kept himself between them 
and the red men until they were safe within it. 

His wife and little baby, however ; could not escape. 
They and the nurse were taken prisoners and put in charge 
of an Indian family of twelve — two braves, three squaws, 
and seven children. The Indians killed the baby, and then 
forced the mother and nurse to march with them toward 
Canada. 

After twelve hours the party came to a halt not far 
from Concord, New Hampshire. Besides the two women, 
an English boy was also a captive. He had been with the 
Indians long enough to know their language, and heard 
them say that at the end of their journey they would torture 
the white women. 

Mrs. Dustin made up her mind to attempt an escape. 
So while the Indians slept, the two women and the boy 
quietly arose, and with tomahawks killed all but two of 
the Indians— an old squaw and a boy. Then with the 
scalps of their ten victims, they paddled their way in a 
bark canoe and got back to an English settlement on the 
Merrimac. 



182 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 




THE INDIANS ATTACK DEERFIELD 

Some years later (1704) at Deer'field, Massachusetts, 
the Indians made another attack. In the attacking party 
were two hundred and fifty French and Indians. 

It was a very cold night. The village was surrounded 

by a palisade, but the 
f/ snow-drifts were so 
high that it was easy 
to climb over and get 
inside of the strong- 
hold. 

A few of the In- 
dians, entering in this 
way, opened the gates 
and let in the rest. They captured the town, set fire to 
the dwellings, and killed forty of the settlers. One hun- 
dred and twelve were made prisoners and marched through 
the snow to Canada. 

John Williams, the Deerfield minister, and his wife and 
family were among the captives. Mrs. Williams was not 
strong, and by the second day she was unable to keep up 
with the march. One blow from a tomahawk ended her sor- 
row. About twenty prisoners were murdered along tne way. 
Mr. Williams arrived at Montreal, where he lived as a 
captive two and one-half years. He was then returned to 
Massachusetts through an exchange of prisoners. 



Old House at Deerfield, Mass. 



STORIES OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 183 



But the Indians would not give up his daughter, Eunice, 
who was then a child of seven years. She was taken to an 




G UX.F OF MEXICO 



The English Colonies and the' French Claims in 1754. 

Indian village, and when she grew up she married an Indian 
chief. 

You will want to know the rest of her story. In later 
years, she visited the place of her childhood. But she 
would not stay long. She was uneasy to get back to her 
free camp life and to her Indian children. 

Many murderous raids like these took place in the first 



184 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

three wars between the English and the French settlers in 
America. There was still another and greater, called the 
Last French War. You need not be told a great many 
things about the fighting itself. But you should know 
what the war was about, a few events which show what 
kind of war it was, and also how it ended. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell all you can about the attack which the French and the 

Indians made upon Schenectady. 

2. What did Mr. Dustin do when the Indians began the attack upon 

Haverhill? What did Mrs. Dustin do after she was taken 
prisoner? 

3. Can you tell what happened to Mr. Williams and his wife? 

4. In how many wars did the English and the French settlers take 

part? 






CHAPTER XXII 

THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH IN NORTH 

AMERICA 

We have seen how the French planted trading posts 
and built forts along the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 
River. They had other forts along the St. Lawrence. So 
they had control of the two largest river valleys in America. 
The French also claimed the Ohio River valley, but so did 
the English. 

In order to make good their claims, the English formed 
the Ohio Company and began to send out settlers to occupy 
the land. 

Then the French hastened to put up forts in the same 
region. One of their forts was quite near the place where 
the city of Erie now stands. Two others were farther 
south along the Alleghany River. 

When the people of Virginia found out what the French 
were doing, they did not like it. So the governor sent a 
messenger to ask the French what it meant, and to warn 
them that they were building forts on English land. The 
person chosen to carry this message was George Wash'- 
ing-ton. 

185 



186 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 

Let us find out who this young man was, and why the 
governor trusted him with an errand so important. 

He was born on 
February 22, 1732, 
the son of a rich 
planterwhoselands 
lay along the Poto- 
mac River. At an 
early age he was 
sent to a school 

W't 'V'' ' 3 

dr%, near by, where he 




learned a little 
reading, writing, 
and ciphering. 
That does not seem 
a great deal to us, 
but it was a good 
beginning. 

George had 
great fun at all 
kinds of boyish 
sports, such as running, leaping, and wrestling; and he 
easily led in them, for he was strong and rugged, and al- 
ways played fair. 

He led the boys not only in sports, but also in other 



The two were together much of the time. They often 
spent the afternoons fox hunting. 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 187 

ways, and he was often called upon to settle their dis- 
putes. Nobody ever doubted his word, for he was always 
truthful. 

He was a very careful boy, and neat about his work. 




When he needed some one to survey land, he chose Washington 

for the task. 



(C 



Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well," was 
his motto, and he stuck to it through life. 

When he grew up he was still fond of out-door sports. 
He loved the woods and the fields, and a good gallop on 
horseback. There was much need at that time of survey- 
ing, — that is, measuring off land, one man's from another's. 
Washington learned to do this and his careful habits as a 
boy helped him very much as a surveyor. 



188 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

When he was sixteen a friendship was begun which had 
much to do with his later life. 

At that time his home was at Mt. Vernon, and near 
by lived an English gentleman, Lord Fair'fax. This tall, 
slender, white-haired gentleman of sixty took a great liking 
to the strong, manly youth of sixteen, and the two were 
together much of the time. They often spent the mornings 
in surveying and the afternoons in fox hunting. 

The more Lord Fairfax learned to know young 
George Washington, the more he trusted him. And 
when he needed some one to survey land far out be- 
yond the Blue Ridge Mountains, he chose Washington for 
the task. 

Washington was at this time barely sixteen. Yet with 
a single companion a few years older, he started out, both 
youths on horseback. They carried guns, because they 
would need them not only to protect themselves from wild 
beasts and Indians, but also to kill game; for while they 
were away from home, they would have to depend mainly 
upon hunting for their supply of food. 

Washington's account of the journey gives many pictures 
in his own words. Now we see him and his companions 
riding along through the unbroken forest with no path, 
except, perhaps, the trail of Indians or wild animals. Then 
we see them spending the night in a woodman's cabin, 
with nothing but a mat of straw for a bed and a single 
blanket for a covering. Again they are making a large 



• ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 1S9 

fire. Each is his own cook. Their spits are forked sticks 
and their plates are large chips. 

There were many dangers and hardships, but in meeting 
them Washington was becoming more manly and learning 
many things which as a leader of men he had to know. 
He was coming close to the Indians, traders, and woods- 
men, and learning to understand them. 

He was also becoming better known to the men of his 
own colony, who were going to need him. One of those who 
were watching him was the governor of Virginia. Now can 
you guess why, some years after he returned from this trip, 
young George Washington was the one picked out to bear 
the message to the commander of the French forts? 

It was in the autumn of 1753 that Washington started 
on that dangerous journey to the Ohio Valley. With only 
seven companions he set out through the thick forests. 

They had to push through the deep snows in the midst 
of heavy storms. Many times there was not even the trail 
of Indians nor the path of wild beasts to guide them. 

It was December when they reached the French fort 
about fifteen miles south of Lake Erie. 

Washington gave the governor's message, and received an 
answer from the French commander, who promised noth- 
ing. Then, with a single faithful woodsman, he started 
back home. 

On the way they passed through many dangers. Once 
an Indian shot at Washington, and came near killing him. 



190 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

At another time, he had a narrow escape from drowning, 
for the Alleghany River, which they had to cross, was 
broken up into great blocks of floating ice. 

There was but one thing to do. Taking turns with 
the only hatchet they had, they spent a day in making a 
raft. Then they launched it. 

The swirling blocks of ice lunged at their craft, and 
many times it seemed as if it must go under. Once Wash- 
ington's foot slipped. It was a desperate moment, but he 
caught himself up and at last they touched the shore. 

The night was bitter cold, but they dared not build a 
fire for fear of the Indians. When morning came, the 
hands and feet of Washington's companion were frozen. 
How they must have suffered ! 

Finally, after an absence of more than two and a half 
months, they "reached home. 

But the answer which Washington brought from the 
French made it plain that they did not intend to leave the 
Ohio country. 

THE LAST FRENCH WAR BEGINS 

At once the Ohio Company sent out a party of men to 
build a log fort, at the place (now Pittsburg) where two 
great rivers unite to form the Ohio. Shortly after, Wash- 
ington himself was sent with a body of soldiers to defend 
it. But before it could be built, French troops came down 
from Canada in canoes and drove away the workmen. 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 191 



«^<K;,e,,&jF<,ri Noji j; e M" Y O B K 

•♦.■Yr'cncl.'rori'So.-Z 
VLe Boeuf> 



The French calmly finished the fort for themselves and 
called it Fort Duquesne (du-can'). Then a large body of 
French soldiers advanced to meet Washington, defeated 
him in a battle at Great Meadows, and forced him to march 
back to Virginia. 

This was in the spring of 1754. The war to decide who 
owned the Ohio Valley had begun, and soon grew into a 
war which would decide 
who owned the greater 
part of North America. 

As you may remem- 
ber, the English had made 
settlements all along the 
Atlantic coast, while most 
of the French had settled 
in Canada. There were 
fifteen times as many Eng- 
lish settlers as there were 
French; but the English 
lived and worked in separate groups, while the French 
were all together. 

Some sort of union was very much needed among the 
English colonies. 




The French in the Ohio Valley. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

One of their leading men tried to bring it about. His 
name was Ben'ja-min Frank'lin, and he was truly a great 
man. 



192 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



. He had such an important part in what happened to 
the colonies then and later that we should know something 
about his life. It is full of interest. 

His father was a candle-maker, and when Benjamin 
was only ten he went to work in his father's shop. Here he 

did such things as cutting wicks 
for the candles, filling the moulds 
with tallow, selling soap in the 
shop, and acting as errand-boy. 

Although he was faithful in all 
his work, he did not enjoy doing 
these things. But he was fond of 
being outdoors, and near the wa- 
ter. He could swim and row and 
sail boats better than most of the 
boys. 

He had good habits. He was 
never idle, because he put a high value upon time. He 
never spent money foolishly, because he knew the easiest 
way to make money was to save what he had. 

He was very fond of books and reading. On that 
account his father put him into a printer's shop in Boston 
with his older brother. But Benjamin thought his brother 
was not quite fair with him, and he set out to seek his 
fortune alone. He was then seventeen. 

He went to Philadelphia where most of his life was 
spent. An amusing stoiy is told of how he looked to his 




^ 



Benjamin Franklin. 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 193 

future wife when he first arrived in that city. Look it up 
and tell it to your teacher. 

Years after this he set up in the printing business for 
himself. But in order to do it, he had to borrow money. 
He worked early and late to pay off the debt, and some- 
times even made his own ink and cast type with his own 
hands. 

But no matter where he was, or how hard he had to 
work, he always found time to read and improve his mind. 

Here are some of the rules he made: "Be orderly about 
your work. Do not waste anything. Never be idle. When 
you decide to do anything, do it with a brave heart." 

Some of these rules appeared in an almanac which he 
published and called "Poor Richard's Almanack." People 
liked it very much, and it became well known everywhere. 

Franklin also liked to make things that were useful in 
the home. Perhaps you have seen a Franklin stove. This 
invention was so much better than the open fireplace that 
it soon came to be widely used. 

But the most wonderful of all the things he did was to 
prove that e-lec-tric'i-ty was the same thing as the lightning 
we see in the clouds. 

You would hardly expect a man of these tastes to be 
the one to work out a plan to unite the English colonies. 
Yet it was he who, seeing clearly that the English colonies 
would be much stronger if they would work together, pro- 
posed in 1754 a "Plan of Union." 



194 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

This was a step toward the union which the colonies 
made later in the struggle against England which we call 
the American Revolution. But at this time ; they were not 
far-seeing enough to get together and ward off the Indians. 
So the war was fought out by the different groups in differ- 
ent parts of the country. 

England's help 

In 1755 England sent out help to her colonies. General 
Brad'dock with a large number of English troops came 
over, and made plans to march against Fort Duquesne. 
He invited Washington to be one of his aids. 

Braddock's task was a hard one. He had to cut a road 
through the forest much of the way, and at the same time 
fight the Indians. He was used to making war in the 
open fields of Europe, but of this woodland warfare he knew 
nothing. 

Washington warned him to be on the lookout against 
the Indian way of fighting. But he thought he knew more 
about the business of war than young Washington, and 
he paid no attention to this warning. 

After many toilsome days of inarching, at last, when 
within eight miles of the French fort, they had a battle. 
First they suddenly saw a man bounding along the pathway 
just ahead. He was dressed like an Indian. Catching 
sight of the British army, he turned and waved his hat. 
At once a body of French soldiers and Indian warriors 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 195 

dashed out from the underbrush and a hideous warwhoop 
rent the air. 

Then, as suddenly as they had come, the French and the 
Indians vanished. They had run back and, hiding behind 
trees and bushes where Braddock and his men could not see 




Braddock's Toilsome March Through the Wilderness. 

them, they shot down the English by hundreds. Brad- 
dock's men could only fire blindly into the dense forests. 
They could not see a single man. 

After two hours of fighting, the English threw away 
their guns and fled for their lives. 

Braddock fought bravely. So did Washington. Two 
horses were shot from under him and four bullets tore 
through his clothing, but he was not hurt. Seven hundred 



196 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

men were either killed or wounded, among them Brad dock 
himself, who received a mortal wound. 

The defeat was a terrible one. If Washington had not 
managed to get the armv back it would have been even 
worse. Such was the result of the first real battle of the 
last French War. 

THE ACADIANS 

During the same year in which General Braddock was 
defeated, war was going on far to the north, and a very 
sad thing happened. This was the removal of the A-ca'- 
di-ans from their home land. 

The Acadians were simple French peasants living in 
what we now call No'va Sco'tia. They called it A-ca'di-a, 
and they or their forefathers had lived there since early 
in the seventeenth century. 

They did not like the English, and, although their land 
had come under English control, they themselves remained 
French at heart and loyal to France. They would not 
promise to be faithful to England. Nor would they promise 
to join the English armies against the French or the Indians. 

It was quite plain to the English that if the French 
should attack Acadia, the people there would rise as one 
man to help them against the English. For this reason, 
they decided to move the Acadians away and scatter them 
among the English colonies. 

In doing this, they tried to keep the people of each 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 197 

village together on the vessels that carried them away. 
But in the grief of partings and in the confusion of getting 




The Acadians were torn from their homes and carried into 
strange lands. 



off, husbands were separated from their wives and mothers 
from their children. And they never saw one another again. 
By this cruel act, six thousand Acadians were torn from 
their homes and carried into strange lands. 



198 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Before the Acadians sailed away, their houses and barns 
were burned, so as to be of no use to any who might try to 
remain behind. Some day you will read the pitiful stories 
of the Acadians in a beautiful poem, Evangeline, by Long- 
fellow. 

THE ENGLISH BEGIN TO WIN 

For the next three years, the French got the best of the 
fighting. But in 1758 and 1759, the English began to win. 

They drove the French from Fort Duquesne and named 
it Fort Pitt, after William Pitt, who was then at the head 
of affairs in England. At the north they also drove the 
French from their strongholds on Lake George and Lake 
Champlain. 1 

They next set out to conquer the French in the St. Law- 
rence Valley. To do this, they had to capture Quebec, the 
most important French stronghold on the St. Lawrence 
River. 

GENERAL WOLFE 

For this great task William Pitt picked out James Wolfe, 
who became the hero of Quebec. He is indeed one of the 
heroes of the world. 

i One of the colonial leaders who took an important part in defeating the French 
■was Sir William Johnson. He was an Englishman who had settled on the Mohawk 
River, where he lived in a large stone mansion. He knew well the language of the 
Indians and their customs. He lived their life, joining in their sports and sitting at 
their council fires. He always treated them fairly so that they trusted him and came 
to love him. In fact, the Mohawks adopted him into their nation and made him a 
war chief. It is said that no other man at that time had so much power over the 
Iroquois Indians. 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 199 




3R 




James "Wolfe. 



At this time, he was thirty-two years old. To look at 

him you would never imagine that he was a soldier. He 

was tall and thin, with narrow shoul- 
ders and frail body. His hair was red 
and his face plain, but his beautiful 
eyes were full of thought and showed 
a fearless spirit. 

His health was never robust. As a 
child, he had often been 
sick, and at this time 
he was suffering from 
a disease which must 
soon have ended his 

life. But he had an iron will and a strong 

wish to serve his country in some way. 
Although he had a hot temper, he had 

a tender and frank nature, which helped him 

to make friends and to keep them. His 

soldiers loved him and were willing to follow 

him through any dangers even to death. 
It was in June, 1759, that Wolfe with an 

army of nearly nine thousand men cast an- 
chor in the St. Lawrence River not far 

from Quebec. The town stood on a rocky An English soldier of 

Wolfe's Army. 

cliff two hundred feet above the river. 

Wolfe saw from the first that it would be no easy task to 

capture this place, so hard to reach. 




200 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



And there were many hardships to endure. His soldiers 
suffered from the intense heat and drenching rains. Many 
were sick, and Wolfe himself became ill with a fever. But 
he would not give up. Although in great pain most of 

the time, he went from tent to tent 
among his men, trying to give them 




courage. 



He said to his doctor: "I know 
you cannot cure me. But pray make 
me up so that I can be without pain 
for a few days, and able to do my 
duty. That is all I want." You see 
he feared that his weak body would 
not keep him alive long enough for 
him to finish his task. 
At last, after much waiting and searching, he discovered 
a pathway up the steep cliff leading to the fort. Then he 
knew that the best way to defeat Montcalm, the French 
commander, was to get the English army up to the plain 
by this pathway. 



Montcalm. 



THE CAPTURE OF QUEBEC 

So Wolfe took a number of men in boats up the river 
to a point nine miles above the place where he intended 
to make the attack. Two hours after midnight, on Sep- 
tember 13th, the signal was given for the advance. It was 
a clear, starlit night, but as there was no moon the English 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 201 



were hidden in darkness while they moved slowly down the 
river. 

Let us imagine ourselves standing by Wolfe's side as 
the boats float quietly down the stream. He is speaking 
in low tones. 

We listen closer. 
He is repeating the 
words of a poem that 
he loves. One line 
seems to make him 
sad: "The paths of 
glory lead but to the 
grave." He has 
come to the end. He 
pauses and says 
gently: "Gentlemen, 
I would rather have 
written those lines 
than take Quebec." 

Alter landing, Eacn man had to pull himself up by clinging to 
, t T-i t i ii the roots and bushes. 

the English struggled 

up the great cliff. Each man, with musket over his shoul- 
der, had to pull himself up by clinging to the roots and 
bushes. But by six o'clock in the morning Wolfe had his 
army drawn up in line ready for battle. It had been an 
anxious night for the sick young English general. 

But it was no less so for Montcalm. Though not sick 




202 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 




Quebec and Surroundings. 



in body, he was sick at heart. He was fighting for a 
losing cause, and he knew it. He had not men enough to 
defend the city, he was short of supplies, and the people of 
the city did not stand by him. He said that he had not 
taken off his clothes to rest since the twenty-third of June. 

About six o'clock that morn- 
ing he heard musket shots and 
the firing of cannon. Mounting 
his black horse, he rode at once 
toward Quebec. When he saw in 
the distance the British soldiers 
drawn up in red ranks, he said to 
an officer who was riding by his 
side: "This is serious business." 
At ten o'clock the French advanced upon the English. 
The struggle was a bitter <one, but the French lost the battle. 
Wolfe was struck by three bullets, the last of which 
brought him to the earth. Then four of his men bore him 
tenderly and lovingly to the rear. 
A moment later some one said: 

"They run! See how they run!" The dying man 
opened his eyes as if waking from a deep sleep, and said: 
"Who runs?" 

" The enemy, sir. Egad, they give way everywhere." 
"Now," said Wolfe, as he breathed his last, "God be 
praised; I will die in peace." 

Montcalm also received a mortal wound. But, sup- 



ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 203 

ported by his soldiers, he kept his saddle as he rode through 
the town. When told that he could not live many hours, he 
said: "So much the better. Thank God, I shall not live to 
see Quebec surrendered." 

Five days later Quebec passed out of the hands of the 
French into the hands of the English. Not even then, how- 
ever, did France give way, and for a while it seemed almost 
as if she might get back at least her own lands. But it 
was too late. 

By the treaty of peace, in 1763, she gave up to Spain 
the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky 
Mountains, and to England she gave up Canada and the 
land east of the Mississippi. 

North America was now in the hands of England and 
Spain, and England had control of all the land east of 
the Mississippi except Florida. 

Later George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and 
other American leaders and heroes joined in a struggle 
against England herself. As a result of that war, which 
you will learn about in your later reading, the American 
colonies became free from England and a nation by them- 
selves. They became States, and afterward joined one 
another to form the United States. 

OUR COUNTRY 

This is your country and mine. Let us try to be loyal 
to it and give it our best service. 



204 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Although we cannot do great things such as Washington 
did, we can, like him, be honest and true, and live up to the 
motto that "whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing 
well." By living and working in this way, whether at home 
or at school, we can make ourselves useful citizens. We can 
be loyal to our flag and to our country. Let us never for- 
get that a great and good nation is made only of great and 
good men and women. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Do you know the cause of the last French War? the result? 

2. What kind of boy was George Washington? 

3. Imagine yourself with him when he was surveying land beyond 

the Blue Ridge Mountains. What happened? 

4. In imagination go with him on his long journey to the French fort, 

and tell the story of the journey. 

5. What do you admire in Washington? 

6. What kind of boy was Benjamin Franklin? Do you think you 

would like such a boy if he were in your school? 

7. What important thing did Franklin try to bring about? Did he 

succeed? 

8. What kind of man was Braddock? What do you think was the 

cause of his defeat? 

9. Imagine yourself as having been a near friend of James Wolfe and 

tell why you like him. 

10. What were some of his trials? 

11. Imagine yourself with him on the evening when his boat floated 

down-stream toward Quebec, and tell as clearly as you can all 
that happened. 

12. In what ways can you be like Washington? 




Pioneers on the Overland Route, Westward. 



STORIES OF 
LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

CHAPTER XXIII 
PATRICK HENRY 

The Last French War had cost England so much that 
at its close she was heavily in debt. 

"As England must now send to America a standing army 
of at least ten thousand men to protect the colonies against 
the Indians and other enemies/' the King, George III, 
reasoned, "it is only fair that the colonists should pay a 
part of the cost of supporting it." 

The English Parliament, being largely made up of the 
King's friends, was quite ready to carry out his wishes, 
and passed a law taxing the colonists. This law was 
called the Stamp Act. It provided that stamps — very 
much like our postage-stamps, but costing all the way 
from one cent to fifty dollars each— should be put upon all 
the newspapers and almanacs used by the colonies, and 
upon all such legal papers as wills, deeds, and the notes 
which men give promising to pay back borrowed money. 

When news of this act reached the colonists they were 
angry. "It is unjust," they said. "Parliament is trying 

205 



206 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



to make slaves of us by forcing us to pay money with 
out our consent 



The charters which the English King 



1 

i 

1 -■ ' . 
1 

1 
1 ■ 

j" y? 
■ 




9 


° /$ 


$0 ? ^ 


2*P* 


- 

| ■ 

i 

j 

j • 

'A 







George III. 



granted to our forefathers when they came to America make 
us free men just as much as if we were living in England. 

"In England it is the law that no free man shall pay 
taxes unless they are levied by his representatives in Parlia- 



PATRICK HENRY 207 

ment. We have no one to speak for us in Parliament, 
and so we will not pay any taxes which Parliament votes. 
The only taxes we will pay are those voted by our repre- 
sentatives in our own colonial assemblies." 

They were all the more ready to take this stand because 
for many years they had bitterly disliked other English 
laws which were unfair to them. One of these forbade 
selling their products to any country but England. And, 
of course, if they could sell to no one else, they would have 
to sell for what the English merchants chose to pay. 

Another law said that the colonists should buy the 
goods they needed from no other country than England, 
and that these goods should be brought over in English 
vessels. So in buying as well as in selling they were at 
the mercy of the English merchants and the English ship 
owners, who could set their own prices. 

But even more unjust seemed the law forbidding the 
manufacture in America of anything which was manufac- 
tured in England. For instance, iron from American 
mines had to be sent to England to be made into useful 
articles, and then brought back over the sea in English 
vessels and sold to the colonists by English merchants at 
their own price. 

Do you wonder that the colonists felt that England 
was taking an unfair advantage? You need not be told 
that these laws were strongly opposed. In fact, the col- 
onists, thinking them unjust, did not hesitate to break 



208 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

them. Some, in spite of the laws, shipped their products 
to other countries and smuggled the goods they received 
in exchange; and some dared make articles of iron, wool, or 
other raw material, both for their own use and to sell to 
others. 

"We will not be used as tools for England to make 
out of us all the profit she possibly can," they declared. 
"We are not slaves but free-born Englishmen, and we 
refuse to obey laws which shackle us and rob us of our 
rights." 

So when to these harsh trade laws the Stamp Act was 
added, great indignation was aroused. Among those most 
earnest in opposing the act was Patrick Henry. 

Let us take a look at the early life of this powerful 
man. He was born in 1736, in Hanover County, Virginia. 
His father was an able lawyer, and his mother belonged to 
a fine old Welsh family. 

But Patrick, as a boy, took little interest in anything 
that seemed to his older friends worth while. He did not 
like to study nor to work on his father's farm. His delight 
was to wander through the woods, gun in hand, hunting 
for game, or to sit on the bank of some stream fishing by 
the hour. When not enjoying himself out-of-doors he 
might be heard playing his violin. 

Of course the neighbors said, a A boy so idle and shift- 
less will never amount to anything," and his parents did 
not know what to do with him. They put him, when fif- 



PATRICK HENRY 



209 



teen years old, as clerk into a little country store. Here he 
remained for a year, and then opened a store of his own. 
But he was still too lazy to attend to business, and soon 
failed. 

When he was only eighteen years old, he married. The 
parents of the young couple, anxious that they should do 
well, gave them a small farm and 
a few slaves. But it was the same 
old story. The young farmer would 
not take the trouble to look after 
his affairs, and let things drift. So 
before long the farm had to be sold 
to pay debts. Once more Patrick 
turned to storekeeping, but after a 
few years he failed again. 

He was now twenty-three years 
old, with no settled occupation, and with a wife and family 
to support. No doubt he seemed to his friends a ne'er- 
do-well. 

About this time he decided to become a lawyer. He 
borrowed some law-books, and after studying for six months, 
he applied for permission to practise law. Although he 
passed but a poor examination, he at last was started on 
the right road. 

He succeeded well in his law practice, and in a few 
years had so much business that people in his part of 
Virginia began to take notice of him. In 1765, soon after 




Patrick Henry. 



210 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament, he 
was elected a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, 
a body not unlike our State Legislature. 

PATRICK HENRY'S FIERY SPEECH AGAINST THE 

STAMP ACT 

History gives us a vivid picture of the young lawyer 
at this time as he rides on horseback along the country 
road toward Williamsburg, then the capital of Virginia. 
He is wearing a faded coat, leather knee-breeches, and 
yarn stockings, and carries his law papers in his saddle-bag. 
Although but twenty-nine, his tall, thin figure stoops as 
if bent with age. He does not look the important man 
he is soon to become. 

When he reaches the little town of Williamsburg, he 
finds great excitement. Men gather in small groups on 
the street, talking in anxious tones. Serious questions are 
being discussed: "What shall we do about the Stamp 
Act?" they say. "Shall we submit and say nothing? 
Shall we send a petition to King George asking him for 
justice? Shall we beg Parliament to repeal the act, or 
shall we take a bold stand and declare that we will not 
obey it?" 

Not only on the street, but also in the House of Bur- 
gesses was great excitement. Most of the members were 
wealthy planters who lived on great estates. So much 
weight and dignity had they that the affairs of the colony 



PATRICK HENRY 



211 



were largely under their control. Most of them were loyal 
to the "mother country," as they liked to call England, 









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Patrick Henry Delivering His Speech in the Virginia House of 

Burgesses. 



and they wished to obey the English laws as long as these 
were just. 

So they counselled: "Let us move slowly. Let nothing 
be done in a passion. Let us petition the King to modify 



212 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

the laws which appear to us unjust, and then, if he will not 
listen, it will be time to refuse to obey. We must not be 
rash." 

Patrick Henry, the new member, listened earnestly. 
But he could not see things' as these older men of affairs 
saw them. To him delay seemed dangerous. He was 
eager for prompt, decisive action. Tearing a blank leaf 
from a law-book, he hastily wrote some resolutions, and, 
rising to his feet, he read them to the assembly. 

We can easily picture the scene. This plainly dressed 
rustic with his bent shoulders is in striking contrast to 
the prosperous plantation owners, with their powdered hair, 
ruffled shirts, knee-breeches, and silver shoe-buckles. They 
give but a listless attention as Henry begins in quiet tones 
to read his resolutions. "Who cares what this country 
fellow thinks?" is their attitude. "Who is he anyway? 
We never heard his voice before." 

It is but natural that these men, whose judgment has 
been looked up to for years, should regard as an upstart 
this young, unknown member, who presumes to think his 
opinion worth listening to in a time of great crisis like this. 

But while they sit in scornful wrath, the young orator's 
eyes begin to glow, his stooping figure becomes erect, and 
his voice rings out with fiery eloquence. "The General 
Assembly of Virginia, and only the General Assembly of 
Virginia," he exclaims, "has the right and the power of 
laying taxes upon the people of this colony." 



PATRICK HENRY 



213 



These are stirring words, and they fall amid a hushed 
silence. Then the debate grows hot, as members rise to 
speak in opposition to his burning eloquence. 

But our hero is more than a match for all the distin- 
guished men who disagree with him. Like a torrent, his 
arguments pour forth and sweep 
all before them. The bold reso- 
lutions he presents are passed by 
the assembly. 

It was a great triumph for 
the young orator. On that day 
Patrick Henry made his name. 
"Stick to us, old fellow, or we're 
gone," said one of the plain 
people, giving him a slap on the 
shoulder as he passed out at the 
close of the stormy session. The unpromising youth had 
suddenly become a leader in the affairs of the colony. 

Not only in Virginia, but also in other colonies, his 
fiery words acted like magic in stirring up the people against 
the Stamp Act. He had proved himself a bold leader, will- 
ing to risk any danger for the cause of justice and freedom. 

You would expect that in the colonies there would be 
strong and deep feeling against the Stamp Act. But per- 
haps you will be surprised to learn that even in England 
many leading men opposed it. They thought that George 
III was making a great mistake in trying to tax the colo- 




William Pitt. 



214 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

nies without their consent. William Pitt, a leader in the 
House of Commons, made a great speech, in which he 
said: "I rejoice that America has resisted." He went on 
to say that if the Americans had meekly submitted, they 
would have acted like slaves. 

Burke and Fox, other great statesmen, also befriended 
us. And the English merchants and ship owners, who 
were losing heavily because the Americans refused to buy 
any English goods as long as the Stamp Act was in force, 
joined in begging Parliament that the act be repealed. 
This was done the next year. 

Other unjust measures followed, but before we take 
them up, let us catch another glimpse of Patrick Henry, 
ten years after his great speech at Williamsburg. 

ANOTHER GREAT SPEECH BY PATRICK HENRY 

The people of Virginia are again greatly aroused. King 
George has caused Parliament to send English soldiers to 
Boston to force the unruly people of Massachusetts to 
obey some of his commands, against which they had re- 
belled. Virginia has stood by her sister colony, and now 
the royal governor of Virginia, to punish her, has prevented 
the House of Burgesses from meeting at Williamsburg. 

But the Virginians are not so easily kept from doing 
their duty. With a grim determination to defend their 
rights as free men, they elect some of their leaders to act 
for them at this trying time. 



PATRICK HENRY 



215 




These meet in Richmond at old St. John's Church, 
which is still standing. Great is the excitement, and 
thoughtful people are very serious, for the shadows of the 
war-cloud grow blacker hour by hour. 

The Virginians have already begun to make ready to 
fight if they must. But many still hope that all disagree- 
ments may yet be set- 
tled peaceably, and 
therefore advise acting 
with caution. 

Patrick Hemy is 
not one of these. He 
believes that the time 
has come when talk- 
ing should give place 
to prompt, decisive action. The war is at hand. It cannot 
be avoided. The colonists must fight or slavishly submit. 

So intense is his belief that he offers in this meeting a 
resolution that Virginia should at once prepare to defend 
herself. Many of the leading men stoutly oppose this reso- 
lution as rash and unwise. 

At length Patrick Henry rises to his feet, his face pale, 
and his voice trembling with deep emotion. Again we see 
the bent shoulders straighten and the eyes flash. His 
voice rings out like a trumpet. As he goes on with increas- 
ing power, men lean forward in breathless interest. Listen 
to his ringing words: 



St. John's Church, Richmond. 



216 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

"We must fight! I repeat it, sir ; we must fight! An 
appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left 
us! They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope 
with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be 
stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? 
Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a Brit- 
ish guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we 
gather strength by irresolution and inaction ? Shall we ac- 
quire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely 
on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, 
until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot ? Sir, 
we are not weak if we make a proper use of the means 
which the God of nature hath placed in our hands. . . . 
There is no retreat but in submission and slavery ! Our 
chains are forged ! Their clanking may be heard on the 
plains of Boston ! The war is inevitable — and let it come ! 
I repeat it, sir, let it come ! 

"... Gentlemen may cry peace, peace — but there is no 
peace. The war is actually begun ! The next gale that 
sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of 
resounding arms ! Our brethren are already in the field ! 
Why stand we here idle ? What is it that gentlemen wish ? 
What would they have ? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, 
as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? 
Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others 
may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me 
death!" 



PATRICK HENRY 217 

What wonder that the audience sways to his belief 

He was a true prophet, for in less than four weeks the 
first gun of the Revolution was fired in the quiet town of 
Lexington, Massachusetts. Undoubtedly Patrick Henry's 
fiery spirit had done much to kindle the flame which then 
burst forth. 

Not long after this, he was made commander-in-chief 
of the Virginia forces (1775), and the next year was elected 
governor of Virginia. 

When the war — in the declaring of which he had taken 
so active a part — was over, Patrick Henry retired at the 
age of fifty-eight (1794), to an estate in Charlotte County 
called "Red Hill," where he lived a simple and beautiful 
life. He died in 1799. 

Without doubt he was one of the most eloquent orators 
our country has ever produced, and we should be grateful 
to him because he used his great gift in helping to secure 
the freedom we now enjoy. 

' Some Things to Think About 

1. What was the Stamp Act? Why did Parliament pass it, and 

why did the colonists object to it? 

2. What did Patrick Henry mean by saying that the General As- 

sembly of Virginia, and only the General Assembly of Virginia 
had the right and the power of laying taxes upon the people 
of that colony ? 

3. Have you in your mind a picture of young Patrick Henry as he 

rode on horseback along the country road toward Williams- 
burg? Describe this picture as clearly as you can. 



218 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

4. What did William Pitt think of the Stamp Act ? Why did Parlia- 

ment repeal it ? 

5. Can you explain Patrick Henry's power as an orator? When did 

he make a great speech in St. John's Church, Richmond ? 

6. What do you admire in Patrick Henry? 

7. Do not fail to locate every event upon your map. 



CHAPTER XXIV 
SAMUEL ADAMS 

While Patrick Henry was leading the people of Vir- 
ginia in their defiance of the Stamp Act, exciting events 
were taking place in Massachusetts under another colonial 
leader. This was Samuel Adams. Even before Virginia took 
any action, he had introduced in the Massachusetts Assembly 
resolutions opposing the Stamp Act, and they were passed. 

This man, who did more than any one else to arouse 
the love of liberty in his colony, was born in Boston in 1722. 
His boyhood was quite different 
from that of Patrick Henry. He 
liked to go to school and to learn 
from books, and he cared little for 
outdoor life or sport of any kind. 

As he grew up, his father wished 
him to become a clergyman, but 
Samuel preferred to study law. 
His mother opposing this, how- 
ever, he entered upon business life. samuei Adams. 
This perhaps was a mistake, for he did not take to busi- 
ness, and, like Patrick Henry, he soon failed, even losing 
most of the property his father had left him. 

219 




220 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

SAMUEL ADAMS AN INSPIRING LEADER 

But although not skilful in managing his own affairs, 
he was a most loyal and successful worker for the interests 
of the colony. In fact, before long, he gave up most of his 
private business and spent his time and strength for the 
public welfare. 

His whole income was the very small salary which he 
received as clerk of the Assembly of Massachusetts. This 
was hardly sufficient to pay for the food needed in his 
household. But his wife was so thrifty and cheerful, and 
his friends so glad to help him out because of the time he 
gave to public affairs, that his home life, though plain, was 
comfortable, and his children were well brought up. 

Poor as he was, no man could be more upright. The 
British, fearing his influence, tried at different times to 
bribe him with office under the King and to buy him with 
gold. But he scorned any such attempts to turn him aside 
from the path of duty. 

The great purpose of his life seemed to be to encourage 
the colonists to stand up for their rights as freemen, and to 
defeat the plans of King George and Parliament in trying 
to force the colonists to pay taxes. In this he was busy 
night and day. In the assembly and in the town meeting 
all looked to him as an able leader; and in the workshops, 
on the streets, or in the shipyards men listened eagerly 
while he made clear the aims of the English King, and 
urged them to defend their rights as free-born Englishmen. 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



221 



Even at the close of a busy day, this earnest, liberty- 
loving man gave himself little rest. Sometimes he was 
writing articles for 
the newspapers, 
and sometimes 
urgent letters to 
the various leaders 
in Massachusetts 
and in the other 
colonies. Long 
after midnight, 
those who passed 
his dimly lighted 
windows could see 
" Sam Adams hard 
at work writing 
against the Tories." 

Had you seen 
him at this time, 
vou would never 




have thought of 



Patriots in New York Destroying Stamps Intended 
for Use in Connecticut. 



him as a remark- 
able man. He was of medium size, with keen gray eyes, 
and hair already fast turning white. His head and hands 
trembled as if with age, though he was only forty-two years 
old and in good health. 

He was a great power in the colony. Not only did he 



222 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

rouse the people against the Stamp Act, but he helped to 
organize, in opposition to it, societies of patriots called 
"Sons of Liberty," who refused to use the stamps and often 
destroyed them. In Massachusetts, as in Virginia and else- 
where, the people refused to buy any English goods until 
this hateful act was repealed. 

At the close of a year, before it had really been put 
into operation, the act was repealed, as we have already 
seen. But this did not happen until many resolutions had 
been passed, many appeals made to the King, and after 
much excitement. Then great was the rejoicing ! In every 
town in the country bonfires were lighted, and every colo- 
nial assembly sent thanks to the King. 

But the obstinate, power-loving George III was not 
happy about this repeal. In fact, he had given in very 
much against his will. He wanted to rule England in his 
own way, and how could he do so if he allowed his stub- 
born colonists in America thus to get the better of him? 

So he made up his mind to insist upon some sort of a 
tax. In 1767, therefore, only one year after the repeal of 
the Stamp Act, he asked Parliament to pass a law taxing 
glass, lead, paper, tea, and a few other articles imported 
into the colonies. 

This new tax was laid, but again the colonists said: 
"We had no part in levying it, and if we pay it, we shall be 
giving up our rights as freemen. But how can we help 
ourselves?" 



SAMUEL ADAMS 223 

Samuel Adams and other leaders answered: "We can 
resist it just as we did the Stamp Act — by refusing to buy 
any goods whatever from England." To this the mer- 
chants agreed. While the unjust tax was in force, they 
promised to import no English goods, and the people 
promised not to ask for such goods. 

Then many wealthy people agreed to wear homespun 
instead of English cloths, and to stop eating mutton in 
order to have more sheep to produce wool for this home- 
spun, thus showing a willingness to give up for the cause 
some of the luxuries which they had learned to enjoy. 

Of course, this stand taken by the colonists angered the 
King. He called them rebels and sent soldiers to Boston 
to help enforce the laws (1768). 

From the first the people of Boston felt insulted at 
having these soldiers in their midst, and it was not long 
before trouble broke out. In a street fight at night the 
troops fired upon the crowd, killing and wounding a num- 
ber of men. 

This caused great excitement. The next day, under 
the leadership of Samuel Adams, the citizens of Boston 
demanded that all the soldiers should be removed. Fear- 
ing more serious trouble if the demand was disregarded, 
the officers withdrew the soldiers to an island in the harbor. 

Still the feeling did not die down. The new taxes were 
a constant irritation. "Only slaves would submit to such 
an injustice," said Samuel Adams, and his listeners agreed. 



224 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

In Massachusetts and in other colonies the English goods 
were refused, and, as in the case of the Stamp Act, the Eng- 
lish merchants felt the pinch of heavy losses, and begged 
that the new tax laws be repealed. 

SAMUEL ADAMS AND THE "BOSTON TEA PARTY" 

Feeling grew stronger and matters grew worse until at 
length, after something like three years, Parliament took 
off all the new taxes except the one on tea. "They must 
pay one tax to know we keep the right to tax," said the 
King. It was > as if the King's followers had winked slyly 
at one another and said: "We shall see — we shall see! 
Those colonists must have their tea to drink, and a little 
matter of threepence a pound they will overlook." 

It would have been much better for England if she had 
taken off all the taxes and made friends with the colonists. 
Many leaders in that country said so, but the stubborn 
King was bent upon having his own way. "I will be King," 
he said. "Thev shall do as I say." 

Then he and his followers worked up what seemed to 
them a clever scheme for hoodwinking the colonists. "We 
will make the tea cheaper in America than in England," 
they said. "Such a bargain! How can the simple colo- 
nists resist it?" Great faith was put in this foolish plan. 

But they were soon to find out that those simple colo- 
nists were onl} r Englishmen across the sea, that they too 
had strong wills, and that they did not care half so much 



SAMUEL ADAMS 225 

about buying cheap tea as they did about giving up a prin- 
ciple and paying a tax ; however small, which they had no 
part in levying. 

King George went straight ahead to carry out his plan. 
It was arranged that the East India Company should 
ship cargoes of tea to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and 
Charleston. 

In due time the tea arrived. Then the King's eyes 
were opened. What did he find out about the spirit of 
these colonists ? That they simply would not use this tea. 
The people in New York and Philadelphia refused to let 
it land, and in Charleston they stored it in damp cellars, 
where it spoiled. 

But the most exciting time was in Boston, where the 
Tory governor, Hutchinson, was determined to carry out 
the King's wishes. Hence occurred the famous "Boston 
Tea Party,"— a strange tea-party, where no cups were used, 
no guests invited, and no tea drunk ! Did you ever hear 
of such a part)'? Let us see what really happened. 

It was on a quiet Sunday, the 28th of November, 1773, 
when the Dartmouth, the first of the three tea ships bound 
for Boston, sailed into the harbor. The people were attend- 
ing service in the various churches when the cry, "The 
Dartmouth is in!" spread like wild-fire. Soon the streets 
were alive with people. That was a strange Sunday in 
Puritan Boston. 

The leaders quickly sought out Benjamin Rotch, the 



220 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



owner of the Dartmouth, and obtained his promise that 
the tea should not be landed before Tuesday. Then they 
called a mass meeting for Monday morning, in Fanueil 

Hall, afterward known as the 
"Cradle of Liberty." 

The crowd was so great 
that they adjourned to the 
Old South Church, and there 
they overflowed into the 
street. There were five thou- 
sand in all, some of them 
from near-by towns. Samuel 
Adams presided. In ad- 
dressing the meeting, he 
asked: "Is it the firm reso- 
lution of this body not only 
that the tea shall be sent 
back, but that no duty shall 
be paid thereon?" "Yes!" came the prompt and united 
answer from these brave men. 

So the patriots of Boston and the surrounding towns, 
with Samuel Adams at their head, were determined that 
the tea should not be landed. Governor Hutchinson was 
equally determined that it should be. A stubborn fight, 
therefore, was on hand. 

The Boston patriots appointed men, armed with muskets 
and bayonets, to watch the tea ships, some by day, others 







Fanueil Hall, Boston. 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



227 



by night. Six post-riders were appointed, who should 
keep their horses saddled and bridled, ready to speed into 
the country to give the alarm if a landing should be at- 
tempted. Sentinels were stationed in the church belfries 
to ring the bells, and beacon-fires 
were made ready for lighting on 
the surrounding hilltops. 

Tuesday, December 16, dawned. 
It was a critical day. If the tea 
should remain in the harbor until 
the morrow — the twentieth day 
after arrival — the revenue officer 
would be empowered by law to 
land it forcibly. 

Men, talking angrily and shak- 
ing their fists with excitement, 
were thronging into the streets of 
Boston from the surrounding towns. 
By ten o'clock over seven thousand had assembled in the 
Old South Church and in the streets outside. They were 
waiting for the coming of Benjamin Rotch, who had gone 
to see if the collector would give him a "clearance," or 
permission to sail out of the port of Boston with the tea. 

Rotch came in and told the angry crowd that the col- 
lector refused to give the clearance. The people told him 
that he must get a pass from the governor. Then the 
meeting adjourned for the morning. 




Old South Church. Boston. 



228 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



At three o'clock in the afternoon a great throng of eager 
men again crowded the Old South Church and the streets 
outside to wait for the return of Rotch. It was an anxious 
moment. "If the governor refuses to give the pass, shall 

the revenue officer 
be allowed to seize 
the tea and land it 
to-morrow morn- 
ing?" Many anx- 
ious faces showed 
that men were ask- 
ing themselves this 
momentous question. 
But while, in 
deep suspense, the 
meeting waited for 
Botch to come they 
discussed the situation, and suddenly John Rowe asked: 
"Who knows how tea will mingle with salt water?" At 
once a whirlwind of applause swept through the assembly 
and the masses outside. A plan was soon formed. 

The afternoon light of the short winter day faded, and 
darkness deepened; the lights of candles sprang up here 
and there in the windows. It was past six o'clock when 
Benjamin Rotch entered the church and, with pale face, 
said: "The governor refuses to give a pass." 

An angry murmur arose, but the crowd soon became 




The "Boston Tea Party." 



SAMUEL ADAMS 229 

silent as Samuel Adams stood up. He said quietly: "This 
meeting can do nothing more to save the country." 

These words were plainly a signal. In an instant a 
war-whoop sounded outside, and forty or fifty "Mohawks/' 
or men dressed as Indians, who had been waiting, dashed 
past the door and down Milk Street toward Griffin's Wharf, 
where the tea ships were lying at anchor. 

It was then bright moonlight, and everything could be 
plainly seen. Many men stood on shore and watched the 
"Mohawks" as they broke open three hundred and forty- 
two chests, and poured the tea into the harbor. There was 
no confusion. All was done in perfect order. But what a 
strange "tea party" it was! Certainly no other ever used 
so much tea or so much water. 

Soon waiting messengers were speeding to outlying 
towns with the hews, and Paul Revere, "booted and 
spurred," mounted a swift horse and carried the glorious 
message through the colonies as far as Philadelphia. 

SOME RESULTS OF THE "BOSTON TEA PARTY " 

The Boston Tea Party was not a festivity which pleased 
the King. In fact, it made him very furious. He promptly 
decided to punish the rebellious colony. Parliament therefore 
passed the "Boston Port Bill," by which the port of Boston 
was to be closed to trade until the people paid for the tea. 
But this they had no mind to do. They stubbornly refused. 

Not Boston alone came under the displeasure of King 



230 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

George and Parliament. They put Massachusetts under 
military rule, with General Gage as governor, and sent 
more soldiers. The new governor gave orders that the 
colonial assembly should hold no more meetings. He said 
that the people should no longer make their own laws, nor 
levy their own taxes. This punishment was indeed severe. 

With no vessels allowed to enter or leave the harbor 
and trade entirely cut off, the people of Boston soon began 
to suffer. But the brave men and women would not give 
in. They said: "We will not pay for the tea, nor will we 
tell the King we are sorry for what we have done." 

When the people of the other colonies heard of the 
suffering in Boston, they sent wheat, cows, sheep, fish, 
sugar, and other kinds of food to help out. The King 
thought that by punishing Boston he would frighten the 
other colonies. But he was mistaken, for they said: "We 
will help the people of our sister colony. Her cause is 
our cause. We must all pull together in our resistance 
to King George and the English Parliament." So his 
action really united the colonies. 

In order to work together to better advantage, the col- 
onies agreed that each should send to a great meeting some 
of their strongest men to talk over their troubles and work 
out some plan of united action. This meeting, which was 
called the First Continental Congress, was held at Car- 
penters' Hall, Philadelphia (1774). 

Samuel Adams and his cousin, John Adams, were two 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



231 



of the four men that Massachusetts sent. They began their 
journey from Boston in a coach drawn by four horses. In 
front rode two 
white servants, 
well mounted and 
bearing arms; 
while behind were 
four black serv- 
ants in livery, 
two on horseback 
and two as foot- 
men. Such was 
the manner of 
colonial gentle- 
men. 

As they jour- 
neyed through 
the country the 
people honored 
them in many 
ways. From some 
of the larger towns officials and citizens rode out on horse- 
back and in carriages to meet them and act as escort; and 
on reaching a town they were feasted at banquets and 
greeted by gleaming bonfires, the ringing of bells, and the 
firing of cannon. These celebrations showed honor not to 
the men alone but to the cause. 




Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia. 



232 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

The First Continental Congress, to which these mes- 
sengers were travelling, urged the people to stand together 
in resisting the attempt of King George and Parliament to 
force them to pay taxes which they had had no share in 
laying. They added: "We have the right not only to tax 
ourselves, but also to govern ourselves." 

With all these movements Samuel Adams was in sym- 
pathy. He went even further, for at this time he was almost 
or quite alone in his desire for independence, and he has 
well been called the "Father of the Revolution." Perhaps 
we think of him especially in connection with the Boston 
Tea Party, but his influence for the good of his country 
lasted far beyond that time. 

Till the close of his life he was an earnest and sincere 
patriot. He died in 1803, at the age of eighty-one years. 
Not an orator like Patrick Henry, but a man of action like 
Washington, he had great power in dealing with men. 
Truly his life was one of great and heroic service to his 
country. 

Some Thix\gs to Think About 

1. In what respects were Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry unlike 

as boys ? 

2. Tell why Samuel Adams had great power over men. 

3. What kind of man was George III ? Why did he so strongly 

desire that the colonists should be compelled to pay a tax 
to England? 

4. What was the tax law of 1767, and why did the colonists object to 

paying the new taxes? 



SAMUEL ADAMS 233 

5. What led up to the "Boston Tea Party"? Imagine yourself one 

of the party, and tell what you did. 

6. In what way did George III and Parliament punish Boston for 

throwing the tea overboard ? How did the colonies help the 
people of Boston at this time? 

7. What was the First Continental Congress, and what did it do ? 

8. What dc you admire in Samuel Adams ? 



CHAPTER XXV 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 

When Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill, the 
King believed that such severe punishment would not only 
put a stop to further rebellious acts, but would cause the 
colonists to feel sorry for what they had done and incline 

them once more to obey him. Im- 
agine his surprise and indignation at 
what followed ! 

As soon as General Gage ordered 
that the Massachusetts Assembly 
should hold no more meetings, the 
colonists made up their minds they 
would not be put down in this man- 
ner. They said: "The King has broken 
up the assembly. Very well. We will 
form a new governing body and give it 
a new name, the Provincial Congress." 
And what do you suppose the chief business of this 
Congress was? To make ready for war! An army was 
called for, and provision made that a certain number of the 
men enlisted should be prepared to leave their homes at a 
minute's notice. These men were called "minute-men." 

234 




John Hancock. 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 



235 



Even while the patriots, for so the rebellious subjects of 
King George called themselves, were making these prepa- 
rations, General Gage, who was in command of the British 
troops in Boston, 
had received 
orders from Eng- 
land to seize as 
traitors Samuel 
Adams and John 
Hancock, who 
were the most ac- 
tive leaders. 

Of Samuel 
Adams you al- 
ready know. John 
Hancock was 
president of the 
newly made Pro- 
vincial Congress. 

General Gage 

knew that Adams and Hancock were staying for a while 
with a friend in Lexington. He had learned also through 
spies that minutemen had collected some cannon and mili- 
tary stores in Concord, twenty miles from Boston, and only 
eight miles beyond Lexington. 

The British general planned, therefore, to send a body 
of troops to arrest the two leaders at Lexington, and 




Arthuo E 

JAMES* 



John Hancock's Home, Boston. 



236 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



then to push on and capture or destroy the stores at 
Concord. 

Although he acted with the greatest secrecy, he was un- 
able to keep his plans from the watchful minutemen. 

We shall see how one of these, Paul 
Revere, outwitted him. Perhaps 
you have read Longfellow's poem 
which tells the story of the famous 
"midnight ride" taken by this 
fearless young man. 

Paul Revere had taken an ac- 
tive part in the "Boston Tea 
Party," and the following year, 
with about thirty other young pa- 
triots, he had formed a society to 
spy out the British plans. I fancy 
that the daring and courage called 
for in this business appealed to the high spirits and love of 
adventure of these young men. Always on the watch, they 
were quick to notice an}^ strange movement and report to 
such leaders as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Doctor 
Joseph Warren. 

On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and his 
friends brought word to Doctor Warren that they believed 
General Gage was about to carry out his plan, already re- 
ported to the patriots, of capturing Adams and Hancock, 
and of taking or destroying the military stores at Concord. 




A Miuuteman. 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 



23; 



Doctor Warren quickly decided that Paul Revere and 
William Dawes should go on horseback to Lexington and 
Concord and give the alarm. He sent 
them by different routes, hoping that 
one at least might escape the British 
patrols with whom Gage had carefully 
guarded, all the roads leading from 



Boston. 

Soon Dawes was galloping across ♦ 
Boston Neck, and 
Paul Revere was 
getting ready for a 
long night ride. 

After arranging 
with a friend for a 
lantern signal to be 
hung in the belfry 
of the Old North 

Church to show by - ^Q^^^^TMM^t 
which route the 







,t» 






I 1 



Old North Church. 



British forces were 

advancing, "one if 

by land and two if 

by sea/' he stepped 

into a light skiff with two friends who rowed him from 

Boston across the Charles River to Charlestown. 

Upon reaching the other side of the river, he obtained 



2:'>s 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



a fleet horse and stood ready, bridle in hand, straining his 
eyes in the darkness to catch sight of the signal-lights. The 
horse waits obedient to his master's touch, and the master 
stands eagerly watching the spot where the signal is to appear. 




Paul Revere's Ride. 



At eleven o'clock a light flashes forth. Exciting mo- 
ment ! Then another light! "Two if by sea!" The 
British troops are crossing the Charles River to march 
through Cambridge ! 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 239 

No time to lose ! Springing into his saddle and spur- 
ring his horse, he speeds like the wind toward Lexington. 

Suddenly two British officers are about to capture him. 
He turns quickly and, dashing into a side-path, with spurs 
in horse he is soon far from his pursuers. 

Then, in his swift flight along the road he pauses at 
every house to shout: "Up and arm! Up and arm! The 
regulars are out ! The regulars are out !" 

Families are roused. Lights gleam from the windows. 
Doors open and close. Minutemen are mustering. 

When Lexington is reached, it is just midnight. Eight 
minutemen are guarding the house where Adams and 
Hancock are sleeping. "Make less noise! Don't disturb 
the people inside," they warn the lusty rider. "Noise!" 
cries Paul Revere. "You'll have noise enough before long. 
The regulars are out !" 

Soon William Dawes arrived and joined Revere. Hastily 
refreshing themselves with a light meal, they rode off to- 
gether toward Concord, in company with Samuel Prescott, 
a prominent Son of Liberty whose home was in that town. 
About half-way there, they were surprised by mounted 
British officers, who called: "Halt." 

Prescott managed to escape by making his horse leap 
a stone wall, and rode in hot haste to Concord, which he 
reached in safety; but Paul Revere and William Dawes 
both fell into the hands of the British. 



240 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD 

Meantime, the British troops numbering eight hundred 
men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, were on their way 
to Lexington. But before they had gone far they were 






^■. l :.'^j-.v^:f-.'^3 










Monument on Lexington Common Marking the Line of the Minutemen. 



made aware, by the ringing of church-bells, the firing of 
signal-guns, the beating of drums, and the gleaming of 
beacon-fires from the surrounding hilltops, that their 
secret was out, and that the minutemen knew what was 
going on. 

Surprised and disturbed by these signs that the colo- 
nists were on the alert, Colonel Smith sent Major Pitcairn 
ahead with a picked body of troops, in the hope that they 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 241 

might reach Lexington before the town could be completely 
aroused. He also sent back to Boston for more men. 

The British commander would have been still more dis- 
turbed if he had known all that was happening, for the 
alarm-signals were calling to arms thousands of patriots 
ready to die for their rights. Hastily wakened from sleep, 
men snatched their old muskets from over the door, and 
bidding a hurried good-by to wife and children, started for 
the meeting-places long before agreed upon. 

Just as the sun was rising, Major Pitcairn marched 
into Lexington, where he found forty or fifty minutemen 
ready to dispute his advance. 

"Disperse, ye rebels; disperse!" he cried, riding up. 
But they did not disperse. Pitcairn ordered his men to 
fire, and eighteen minutemen fell to the ground. 

Before the arrival of Pitcairn the British officers who 
had captured Revere and Dawes returned with them to 
Lexington, where, commanding Revere to dismount, they 
let him go. Running off at full speed to the house where 
Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying, he told 
them what had happened, and then guided them across 
the fields to a place of safety. 

Leaving the shocked and dazed villagers to collect their 
dead and wounded, Colonel Smith hastened to Concord. 
He arrived about seven in the morning, six hours after 
Doctor Prescott had given the alarm. 

There had been time to hide the military stores, so the 



242 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



British could not get at those. But they cut down the 
liberty-pole, set fire to the court-house, spiked a few cannon, 
and emptied some barrels of flour. 

About two hundred of them stood guard at the North 
Bridge, while a body of minutemen gathered on a hill on 
the opposite side. When the minutemen had increased to 
four hundred, they advanced to the bridge and brought on 

a fight which re- 
sulted in loss of life 
on both sides. 
Then, pushing on 
across the bridge, 
they forced the 
British to withdraw 
into the town. 

The affair had 
become more seri- 
ous than the British 
had expected. Even 
in the town they could not rest, for an ever-increasing 
body of minutemen kept swarming into Concord from 
every direction. 

By noon Colonel Smith could see that it would be un- 
wise to delay the return to Boston. So, although his men 
had marched twenty miles, and had had little or no food 
for fourteen hours, he gave the order for the return march. 
But when they started back, the minutemen kept after 




Boston and Vicinity. 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 



243 



them and began a deadly attack. It was an unequal fight. 
The minutemen, trained to woodland warfare, slipped 
from tree to tree, shot down the worn and helpless British 
soldiers, and then 



retreated only to 
return and re- 
peat the harass- 
ing attack. 

The wooded 
country through 
which they were 
passing favored 
this kind of fight- 
ing. But even in 
the open coun- 
try eveiy stone 
wall and hill, 
eveiy house and 
barn seemed to 
the exhausted 




Concord Bridge. 



British troops to bristle with the guns cf minutemen. The 
retreating army dragged wearily forward, fighting as bravely 
as possible, but on the verge of confusion and panic. 

They reached Lexington Common at two o'clock, quite 
overcome with fatigue. There they were met by one thou- 
sand two hundred fresh troops, under Lord Percy, whose 
timely arrival saved the entire force from capture. Lord 



244 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Percy's men formed a square for the protection of the 
retreating soldiers, and into it they staggered, falling upon 
the ground, "with their tongues hanging out of their 
mouths like those of dogs after a chase.'' 

After resting for an hour, the British again took up 
their march to Boston. The minutemen, increasing in 
numbers every moment, kept up the same kind of running 
attack that they had made between Concord and Lexington 
until, late in the day, the redcoats came under the protec- 
tion of the guns of the war vessels in Boston Harbor. 

The British had failed. There was no denying that. 
They had been driven back, almost in a panic, to Boston, 
with a loss of nearly three hundred men. The Americans 
had not lost one hundred. 

But the King was not aroused to the situation. He had 
a vision of his superb regiments in their brilliant uniforms 
overriding all before them. 

And how did the Provincials, as the British called the 
Americans, regard the situation? They saw clearly and 
without glamour the deadly nature of the struggle upon 
which they had entered and the strength of the opposing 
army against which they must measure their own strength. 

The people of Massachusetts for miles around Boston 
were now in a state of great excitement. Farmers, me- 
chanics, men in all walks of life nocked to the army, and 
within a few days the Americans, sixteen thousand strong, 
were surrounding the British in Boston. 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 



245 



While the people of Massachusetts were in the midst of 
these stirring scenes, an event of deep meaning to all the 
colonies was taking place in Philadelphia. Here the Con- 
tinental Congress, coming together for the second time, was 




President Langdon, the President of Harvard College, Praying for the Bunker Hill 
Entrenching Party on Cambridge Common Just Before Their Departure. 



making plans for carrying on the war by voting money for 
war purposes and by making George Washington com- 
mander-in-chief of the Continental army, of which the 
troops around Boston were the beginning. Thus did the 
colonies recognize that war had come and that they must 
stand together in the fight. 

Meantime more British troops, under the command of 



246 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



General Howe, arrived in Boston, making an army of ten 
thousand men. Believing they could be forced to leave 

the town by can- 
non planted on 
Bunker Hill, the 
Americans decided 
to occupy it. 

On the night of 
June 16, therefore, 
shortly before mid- 
night, twelve hun- 
dred Americans 
marched quietly 
from Cambridge 
and, advancing to 
Breed's Hill, which 
was nearer Boston 
than Bunker Hill, 
began to throw up 
breastworks. 

They worked hard all night, and by early morning had 
made good headway. The British, on awaking, were greatly 
surprised to see what had been done. They turned the fire 
of their war vessels upon the Americans, who, however, kept 
right on with their work. 

General Howe, now in command of the British army, 
thought it would be easy enough to drive off the "rebels." 




Prescott at Bunker Hill. 



THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 



2¥, 



x\ 



t 



So about three o'clock in the afternoon he made an assault 
upon their works. 

The British soldiers, burdened with heavy knapsacks, 
and suffering from the heat of a summer sun, had to march 
through tall grass reaching above 
their knees and to climb many 
fences. 

Behind their breastworks the 
Americans watched the scarlet 
ranks coming nearer and nearer. 
Powder was low, and must not be 
wasted. Colonel William Prescott, 
who was in command, told his men 
not to fire too soon. "Wait till 
you see the whites of their eyes," 
he said. 

Twice the British soldiers, in 
their scarlet uniforms, climb the 

slope of the hill and charge the breastworks. Twice the 
Americans drive them back, ploughing great gaps in their 
ranks. 

A third time they advance. But now the Americans do 
not answer the charge. There is good reason — the powder 
has given out ! A great rush — and the redcoats have 
climbed over. But it is no easy victory even now, and 
thera is no lack of bravery on the part of the Americans. 
With clubbed muskets they meet the invaders. 




Bunker Hill Monument. 



248 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

The British won the victory, but with great loss 
"Many such/' said one critic, "would have cost them their 
army." 

On the other hand, the Americans had fought like 
heroes, and news of the battle brought joy to every loyal 
heart. Washington heard of it when on his way to take 
command of the army. 

"Did the Americans stand fire?" was his first question. 
Yes," was the answer. 
Then," said he, "the liberties of the country are safe." 



if 



Some Things to Think About 

1. Impersonating Paul Revere, tell the story of his famous ride. 

What do you think of him? 

2. Why did the British troops march out to Lexington and Concord ? 

3. Imagine yourself at Concord on the morning of the battle, and 

tell what happened. 

4. Why did the Americans fortify Breed's Hill? What were the 

results of the Battle of Bunker Hill ? 

5. What did Washington say when he heard that the Americans had 

stood their ground in face of the British assault? 



CHAPTER XXVI 
GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 

In electing George Washington commander-in-chief of 
the Continental army, the Continental Congress probably 
made the veiy wisest choice possible. Of course, this was 
not so clear then. For even leaders like Samuel Adams 
and John Adams and Patrick Henry did not know Wash- 
ington's ability as we have come to know it now. But they 
had learned enough about his 
wonderful power over men and 
his great skill as a leader in 
time of war to believe that he 
was the man to whom they 
might trust the great work of 
directing the army in this mo- 
mentous crisis. 

We have already learned, in 
a previous book, something of 
Washington's boyhood, so simple 
and free and full of activity. 
We recall him, as he grew up, 
first as a youthful surveyor, then as the trusted messenger 
of his colony, Virginia, to the commander of the French 

249 




George Washington. 



250 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

forts west of the Alleghanies, and afterward as an aide of 
General Braddock when the war with the French broke out. 

In the discharge of all these duties and in all his rela- 
tions with men 7 whether above him in office or under his 
command, he had shown himself trustworthy and efficient, 
a man of clear mind and decisive action — one who com- 
manded men's respect, obedience, and even love. 

After the last battle of the Last French War Washington 
had returned to his home at Mount Vernon, on the banks 
of the Potomac, and very soon (1759) married Mrs. Martha 
Custis, a young widow whom he had met at a friend's 
house while he was on the way to Williamsburg the year 
before. With the -addition of his wife's property to his 
own, he became a man of much wealth and at one time 
was one of the largest landholders in America. 

But with all his wealth and experience Washington had 
the modesty which always goes with true greatness. In 
the Virginia House of Burgesses, to which he was elected 
after the Last French War, he was given a vote of thanks 
for his brave services in that war. Rising to reply, Wash- 
ington, still a young man, stood blushing and stammering, 
unable to say a word. The speaker, liking him none the 
less for this embarrassment, said, with much grace: "Sit 
down, Mr. Washington. Your modesty equals your valor, 
and that surpasses the power of any language I possess." 

. Some years rolled by and the home-loving young planter 
lived the busy but quiet life of a high-bred Virginia gentle- 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 251 

man. Meanwhile the exciting events of which we have 
been speaking were crowding upon one another and lead- 
ing up to the Revolution; and in this interval of quiet 
country life Washington was unconsciously preparing for 
the greater task for which he was soon to be chosen. 




Washington, Henry, and Pendleton on the Way to Congress at Philadelphia. 

In the events of these days Washington took his own 
part. He was one of the representatives of Virginia at the 
first meeting of the Continental Congress, in 1774, going to 
Philadelphia in company with Patrick Henry and others. 
He was also a delegate to the second meeting of the Con- 
tinental Congress, in May, 1775. 

He filled well each place of trust ; and what more natural 
than that the Congress should choose as commander-in- 
chief of the American army this gentleman, young, able, 
and already tried and proven ? He was chosen unanimously. 



252 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



On being elected, Washington rose and thanked Congress 
for the honor, adding modestly: "I do not think myself 
equal to the command I am honored with." No doubt in 
the dark days of war to follow he often felt in this way, 




The Washington Elm at Cambridge, under which Washington took 

Command of the Army. 

but as the task had fallen to him, he determined to do his 
best and trust in a higher power for the outcome. 

He refused to accept any salary for his services, but 
said he would keep an account of his expenses. The idea 
of gain for himself in the time of his country's need was 
far removed from this great man's heart ! 

On the 21st of June, Washington set out on horseback 
from Philadelphia, in company with a small body of horse- 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 253 

men, to take command of the American army around Bos- 
ton. This journey, which can now be made by train in a 
few hours, took several days. 

Soon after starting, Washington was much encouraged, 
as we have seen in a preceding chapter, by the news of 
the brave stand the provincials had made at the battle of 
Bunker Hill. 

After three days, he reached New York, about four 
o'clock on Sunday afternoon, and was given a royal wel- 
come. Nine companies of soldiers on foot escorted him 
as he passed through the streets in an open carriage drawn 
by two white horses. All along the route the streets were 
lined with people who greeted him with cheers. 

Continuing his journey, on July 2 he reached the camp 
in Cambridge, and there officers and soldiers received him 
with enthusiasm. 

WASHINGTON IN COMMAND OF THE ARMY 

Next day under the famous elm still standing near Har- 
vard University, Washington drew his sword and took com- 
mand of the American army. 

He was then forty-three years old, tall and manly in 
form, noble and dignified in bearing. His soldiers looked 
upon him with pride as he sat upon his horse, a superb 
picture of strength and dignity. He wore a three-cornered 
hat with the cockade of liberty upon it, and across his 
breast a broad band of blue silk. The impression he made 



254 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

was most pleasing, his courteous and kindly manner winning 
friends immediately. 

Washington at once began the labor of getting his troops 
ready to fight, as his army was one only in name. For 
although the men were brave and willing, they had never 
been trained for war, and were not even supplied with 
muskets or powder. 

Fortunately, the British did not know how badly off 
the American army was, and were taking their ease inside 
their own defenses. The autumn and the winter slipped 
by before Washington could make the attempt to drive 
the British out of Boston. 

At last, by the first of March, some cannon and 
other supplies arrived in camp. Many of them had been 
dragged over the snow from Ticonderoga on sledges drawn 
by oxen. This gave Washington his opportunity to strike. 

One night, while the cannon of the American army, 
which was just outside of Boston, were firing upon the 
British for the purpose of concealing Washington's plan, 
he sent troops to seize and fortify Dorchester Heights, 

overlooking Boston on the south. 

Next morning when the astonished British commander, 
Howe, realized what the Americans had done, he saw clearly 
that he must drive them from the Heights or else leave 
Boston himself. But before he could send a force across 
the bay, a violent storm came up and delayed the attack. 

In the meantime the Americans had made their earth- 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 255 



works so strong that Howe decided not to molest them. 
He remembered too well the Bunker Hill affair. So with 
all his army he sailed away to Halifax, leaving behind 
much powder and many cannon, which you may be sure 
the Americans lost no time in 



seizing. 




Sir William Howe. 



Washington believed that 
after leaving Boston the British 
would try to take New York in 
order to get control of the Hud- 
son River and the middle col- 
onies. To outwit them his men 
must get to New York first. 
This they did. 

He had not gone far in put- 
ting up defenses there when an 

event of profound importance took place in Philadelphia. 
This was the signing of the Declaration of Independence by 
the Continental Congress. Up to the summer of 1776, it 
was for their rights as free-born Englishmen that the col- 
onists had been fighting. But now that King George was 
sending thousands of soldiers to force them to give up 
these rights, which were as dear to them as their own lives, 
they said: "We will cut ourselves off from England. We 
will make our own laws ; we will levy our own taxes ; we will 
manage our affairs in our own way. We will declare our 
independence. 



i) 



256 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



So they appointed a committee, two of whom were 
Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, to draw up the 
Declaration of Independence. This was signed July 4, 1776. 




Thomas Jefferson Looking Over the Rough Draught of the 
Declaration of Independence. 

It was a great day in American history, and worthy 
of celebration. After that, the thirteen colonies became 
States, and each organized its own government. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 257 

This act, no doubt, gave Washington good heart for the 
difficult work he had in hand, but the task itself was no 
easier. While he was waiting at New York for the enemy's 
attack, he had only an ill-assorted army of about eighteen 
thousand men to meet them. General Howe, who soon 
arrived, had thirty thousand men and a large fleet as well. 
Yet Washington pluckily made plans to defend the city. 

When Brooklyn Heights, on Long Island, had been for- 
tified, he sent General Putnam with half the army across 
East River to occupy them. 

On August 27 General Howe, with something like 
twenty thousand men, attacked a part of these forces and 
defeated them. If he had attacked the remainder at once, 
he might have captured the full half of the army un- 
der Putnam's command — and even Washington himself, 
who, during the heat of the battle, had crossed over from 
New York. But, as we have seen, the British were apt to 
"put off till to-morrow." And very fortunate it was for 
the Americans. 

Possibly General Howe could have ended the war at 
this time if he had continued his attack. But of course 
he did not know that the Americans were going to escape, 
any more than he had known that they were going to cap- 
ture Boston. His men had fought hard at the end of a 
long night march and needed rest. Besides, he felt so sure 
of making an easy capture of the remainder of the army 
that there was no need of haste. For how could the Ameri- 



25S 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



cans get away? Did not the British fleet have them so 
close under its nose that it could easily get between them 
and New York and make escape impossible? 

This all seemed so clear to the easy-going General 
Howe that with good conscience he gave his tired men a 




The Retreat from Long Island. 

rest after the battle on the 27th. On the 28th a heavy rain 
fell, and on the 29th a dense fog covered the island. 

But before middav of the 29th, some American officers 
riding down toward the shore noticed an unusual stir in 
the British fleet. Boats were going to and fro as if carry- 
ing orders. 

"It looks as if the English vessels may soon sail up be- 
tween New York and Long Island and cut off our retreat," 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 259 

said these officers to Washington. The situation was peril- 
ous. At once Washington gave orders to secure all the 
boats possible, in order to attempt escape during the night. 

It was a desperate undertaking. There were ten thou- 
sand men to be taken across, and the width of the river at 
the point of crossing was nearly a mile. It would hardly 
seem possible that such a movement could be made in a 
single night without being discovered by the British troops, 
who were lying in camp within gunshot of the retreating- 
Americans. 

But that which seemed impossible was done, for the 
army was transferred in safety. 

The night must have been a long and anxious one for 
Washington, who stayed at his post of duty on the Long 
Island shore until the last boat-load had pushed off. The 
retreat was as brilliant as it was daring, and it saved the 
American cause. 

But even after he had saved his army from capture and 
once more outwitted the British, the situation was still one 
of great danger. No sooner had the Americans made their 
perilous escape from Long Island than the British seized 
Brooklyn Heights. So just across the river from New York 
were the British troops, and just below them in the harbor 
lay the British fleet. 



260 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

THE HEROIC NATHAN HALE 

With forces so unequal, a single unwise movement might 
bring disaster. If only Washington could learn the plans 
of the British ! The only way to do this was to send a 
spy over into their camp. He called for a volunteer to go 
inside the enemy's line and get information. Now, you 
know that spying is dangerous business, for if captured the 
man will be hanged; and none but a brave man will under- 
take it. 

Probably many of you boys and girls know the name 
of the hero whom Washington selected for this delicate 
and dangerous task. It was Nathan Hale. 

Perhaps you ask why he was chosen, and why he was 
willing to go. 

We can answer those questions best by finding out 
something about his life. 

Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, a little town in 
Connecticut, in 1755. His parents, who were very religious 
people, had taught him to be always honest, brave, and 
loyal. 

Nathan was bright in school and fond of books. He 
was also fond of play. Although he was not very strong as 
a small boy, he grew sturdy and healthy by joining in the 
sports of the other boys. They liked him, because, like 
George Washington, he always played fair. 

Later he went to Yale College, where he studied hard 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 261 



but yet had time for fun. He became a fine athlete, tall, 
and well-built. He sang well, and his gentlemanly manner 
and thoughtfulness of others made him beloved by all who 
knew him. 

After he left college, he taught school with much suc- 
cess, being respected and loved by his pupils. He was 
teaching in New London, Connecticut, when 
the Revolutionary War broke out. 

He felt sorry to leave his school, but 
believing his country needed the service of 
every patriotic man, he joined the army 
and was made a captain. 

When he learned that his commander 
needed a spy, he said: "I am ready to go. 
Send me." 

He was only twenty-one, hardly more 
than a boy, yet he knew the danger. And 
although life was very dear to him he loved 
his country more than his own life. 

His noble bearing and grace of manner might easily 
permit him to pass as a Loyalist, that is, an American who 
sympathized with England — there were many such in the 
British camp — and Washington accepted him for the mis- 
sion. 

He dressed himself like a schoolmaster, so that the Brit- 
ish would not suspect that he was an American soldier. 

Then, entering the enemy's lines, he visited all the 




Nathan Hale. 



262 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

camps, took notes, and made sketches of the fortifica- 
tions, hiding the papers in the soles of his shoes. He 
was just about returning when he was captured. The pa- 
pers being found upon him, he was condemned to be hanged 
as a spy before sunrise the next morning. 

The marshal who guarded him that night was a cruel 
man. He would not allow his prisoner to have a Bible, and 
even tore in pieces before his eyes the farewell letters which 
the young spy had written to his mother and friends. 

But Nathan Hale was not afraid to die, and held him- 
self calm and steady to the end. Looking down upon the 
few soldiers who were standing near by as he went to his 
death, he said: "I only regret that I have but one life to 
lose for my country." All honor to this brave and true 
young patriot ! 

A TIME OF TRIAL FOR WASHINGTON 

But the death of Nathan Hale was only one of the hard 
things Washington had to bear in this trying year of 1776. 
We have seen that when the Americans left the Long Island 
shore, the British promptly occupied it. On Brooklyn 
Heights they planted their cannon, commanding New York. 
So Washington had to withdraw, and he retreated north- 
ward to White Plains, stubbornly contesting every inch of 
ground. 

In the fighting of the next two months the Americans 
lost heavily. Two forts on the Hudson River with three 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 263 



Lake C»an>yla(n 



thousand men were captured by the British. The outlook 

was gloomy enough, and it was well for the Americans that 

they could not foresee 

the even more trying 

events that were to 

follow. 

In order to save him- 
self and his men from 
the enemy, Washington 
had to retreat once 
more, this time across 
New Jersey toward 
Philadelphia. With the 
British army, in every 
way stronger than his 
own, close upon him, it 
was a race for life. 
Sometimes there was 
only a burning bridge, 
which the rear-guard of 
the Americans had set on fire, between the fleeing forces 
and the pursuing army. 

To make things worse, Washington saw his own army 
becoming smaller every day, because the men whose term 
of enlistment had expired were leaving to go to their homes. 
When he reached the Delaware River he had barely three 
thousand men left. 




A T L A N T I C 

V C i A X 



The War in the Middle States. 



264 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Here again Washington showed a master-stroke of 
genius. Having collected boats for seventy miles along 
the river, he succeeded in getting his army safely across 
at a place a little above Trenton. As the British had no 
boats, they had to come to a halt. In their usual easy way, 
they decided to wait until the river should freeze, when — 
as they thought — they would cross in triumph and make 
a speedy capture of Philadelphia. 

To most people in England and in America alike, the 
early downfall of the American cause seemed certain. 
General Cornwallis was so sure that the war would soon 
come to an end that he had already packed some of his 
luggage and sent it to the ship in which he expected to re- 
turn to England. 

But Washington had no thought of giving up the strug- 
gle. Others might say: "It's of no use to fight against 
such heavy odds." General Washington was not that kind 
of man. He faced the dark outlook with all his courage 
and energy. Full of faith in the cause for which he was 
willing to die, he watched eagerly for the opportunity to 
turn suddenly upon his overconfident enemy and strike a 
heavy blow. 

THE VICTORY AT TRENTON 

Such an opportunity came soon. A body of British 
troops, made up of Hessians (or Germans mainly from 
Hesse-Cassel, hired as soldiers by King George), was sta- 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 265 

tioned at Trenton, and Washington planned to surprise 
them on Christmas night, when, as he knew, it was their 
custom to hold a feast and revel. 

With two thousand four hundred picked men he pre- 
pared to cross the Delaware River at a point nine miles 




British and Hessian Soldiers. 



above Trenton. The ground was white with snow, and the 
weather was bitterly cold. As the soldiers marched to the 
place of crossing, some of them whose feet were almost bare 
left bloody footprints along the route. 

At sunset the troops began to cross. It was a terrible 
night. Angry gusts of wind, and great blocks of ice swept 
along by the swift, current, threatened every moment to 
dash in pieces the frail boats. 



266 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

From the Trenton side of the river, General Knox, who 
had been sent ahead by Washington, loudly shouted to 
let the struggling boatmen know where to land. For ten 
hours boat-load after boat-load of men made the dangerous 
crossing. A long, long night this must have been to Wash- 
ington, as he stood in the midst of the wild storm, anxious, 
yet hopeful that the next day would bring him victory. 

It was not until four in the morning that the already 
weary men were in line to march. Trenton was nine miles 
away, and a fearful storm of snow and sleet beat fiercely 
upon them as they advanced. Yet they pushed forward. 
Surely such courage and hardihood deserved its reward ! 

The Hessians, sleeping heavily after their night's feast- 
ing, were quite unaware of the approaching army. About 
sunrise they were surprised and most of them easily cap- 
tured after a brief struggle. 

Like a gleam of light in the darkness, news of this vic- 
tory shot through the colonies. It brought hope to every 
patriot heart The British were amazed at the daring feat, 
and Cornwallis decided not to leave America for a time. 
Instead, he advanced with a large force upon Trenton, 
hoping to capture Washington's army there. 

At nightfall, January 2, 1777, he took his stand on the 
farther side of a small creek, near Trenton, and thought 
he had Washington in a trap. "At last," said Cornwallis, 
"we have run down the old fox, and we will bag him in 
the morning." In the morning again ! 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 267 

■ But Washington was too sly a fox for Cornwallis to 
bag. During the night he led his army around Cornwallis's 
camp and, pushing on to Princeton, defeated the rear-guard, 
which had not yet joined the main body. He then retired 
in safety to his winter quarters among 
the hills about Morristown. 

During this fateful campaign Wash- 
ington had handled his army in a mas- 
terly way. He had 
begun with bitter de- 
feat; he had ended 
with glorious victory. 
The Americans now 
felt that their cause 
was by no means hopeless. It was well that they had 
this encouragement, for the year that began with the 
battle of Princeton (1777) was to test their courage and 
loyalty to the uttermost. 





Powder-Horn, Bullet-Flask, and Buckfhot-Pouch. 
Used in the Revolution. 



BURGOYNE S INVASION 

It had become plain to the British that if they could get 
control of the Hudson River, thus cutting off New England 
from the other States, they could so weaken the Americans 
as to make their defeat easy. So they adopted this plan: 
Burgoyne with nearly eight thousand men was to inarch 
from Canada, by way of Lake Champlain and Fort Ed- 
ward, to Albany, where he was to meet a small force of 



268 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

British, who also were to come from Canada by way of 
the Mohawk Valley. The main army of eighteen thou- 
sand men, under General Howe, was expected to sail up 
the Hudson from New York. They believed that this 
plan could be easily carried out and would soon bring the 
war to a close. 

And their plan might have succeeded if General Howe 
had done his part. Let us see what happened. 

Howe thought that before going up the river to meet 
and help Burgoyne, he would just march across New Jersey 
and capture Philadelphia. This, however, was not so easy 
as he had expected it to be. Washington's army was in his 
pathway, and, not caring to fight his way across, he returned 
to New York and tried another route, sailing with his army 
to Chesapeake Bay. The voyage took two months, much 
longer than he expected. 

When at length he landed and advanced toward Phil- 
adelphia, he was again thwarted. Washington's army 
grimly fronted him at Brandywine Creek, and a battle 
had to be fought. The Americans were defeated, it is 
true, but Washington handled his army with such skill 
that it took Howe two weeks to reach Philadelphia, 
which was only twenty-six miles away from the field of 
battle. 

Howe was thus kept busy by Washington until it was 
too late for him to send help to Burgoyne. 

Moreover, Burgoyne was disappointed also in the help 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 269 

which he had expected from the Mohawk Valley, for the 
army which was to come from that direction had been 




General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates. 

forced to retreat to Canada almost before reaching the 
valley at all. 

Burgoyne was now in a hard place. The Americans 
were in front of him, blocking his way, and also behind him, 
preventing him from retreating or from getting powder 
and other greatly needed supplies from Canada. He could 
move in neither direction. 



270 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Thus left in the lurch by those from whom he expected 
aid and penned in by the Americans, there was nothing 
for him to do but fight or give up. 

Like a good soldier, he fought, and the result was two 
battles near Saratoga and the defeat of the British. In the 
end Burgoyne had to surrender his entire army of six thou- 
sand regular troops (October 17, 1777). 

Such was the way in which the British plan worked 
out. Of course the result was a great blow to England. 

On the other hand, the victory was a great cause of joy 
to the Americans. It made hope stronger at home; it 
won confidence abroad. France had been watching closely 
to see whether the Americans were likely to win in their 
struggle, before aiding them openly. Now she was ready 
to do so, and was quite willing to make a treaty with them, 
even though such a course should lead to war with Eng- 
land. 

To bring about this treaty with France, Benjamin 
Franklin did more than any other man. After signing the 
Declaration of Independence — and you will remember that 
he was a member of the committee appointed to draft that 
great state paper — he went to France to secure aid for the 
American cause. He must have been a quaint figure at 
the French court, his plain hair and plain cloth coat con- 
trasting strangely with the fashion and elegance about him. 
Yet this simple-hearted man was welcomed by the French 
people, who gave feasts and parades in his honor and dis- 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 271 

played his picture in public places. By his personal influ- 
ence he did very much to secure the aid which France 
gave us. 



LAFAYETTE JOINS THE AMERICAN ARMY 

Even before an open treaty was signed France had 
secretly helped the cause of the Americans. She had sent 
them money and army supplies 
and, besides this, able French- 
men had come across the At- 
lantic to join the American 
army. The most noted of these 
was the Marquis de Lafayette. . 

The circumstances under 
which he came were quite ro- 
mantic. Lafayette was but 
nineteen when he heard for the 
first time at a dinner-party the 
story of the American people 
fighting for their liberty. It interested and deeply moved 
him. For in his own land a desire for freedom had been 
growing, and he had been in sympathy with it. Now he 
made it his business to find out more about this war, and 
then he quickly decided to help all he could. 

He belonged to one of the noblest families of France, 
and was very wealthy. He had a young wife and a baby, 
whom he regretted to leave. But he believed that his 




Marquis de'Lafayette. 



272 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



duty called him to join the cause of freedom. His wife 
was proud of the lofty purpose of her noble husband, and 
encouraged him to carry out his plan. 

But Lafayette found it very hard to get away, for his 
family was one of influence. His relatives and also the 




Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin. 

men in power were very angry when he made known his 
purpose, and they tried to prevent his going. 

But he bought a ship with his own money and loaded 
it with army supplies. Then, disguising himself as a post- 
boy, he arrived at the coast without being found out. 

After a long, tiresome voyage he reached the United 
States and went to Philadelphia. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 273 

There Congress gave him the rank of major-general, 
but in accepting it Lafayette asked that he might serve 
without pay. 

A warm friendship at once sprang up between Wash- 
ington and the young Frenchman, and a feeling of con- 
fidence as between father and son. The older man made 
the young major-general a member of his military family, 
and Lafayette was always proud to serve his chief. He 
spent his money freely and risked his life to help the cause 
of American liberty. We can never forget his unselfish 
service. 

At the close of the year 1777 Washington took his army 
to a strong position among the hills at Valley Forge, about 
twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia, there to spend the 
winter. 

It was a period of intense suffering. Sometimes the 
soldiers went for days without bread. "For some days 
past," wrote Washington, "there has been little less than 
famine in the camp." Most of the soldiers were in rags, 
only a few had bed clothing. Many had to sit by the fire 
all night to keep warm, and some of the sick soldiers were 
without beds or even loose straw to lie upon. Nearly 
three thousand of the men were barefoot in this severe 
winter weather, and many had frozen feet because of the 
lack of shoes. It makes one heart-sick to read about what 
these brave men passed through during that wretched 
winter. 



274 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



Yet, in spite of bitter trials and distressing times, Wash- 
ington never lost faith that in the end the American cause 
would triumph. A beautiful stoiy is told showing the 




Winter at Valley Forge. 



faith of this courageous man while in the midst of these 
pitiful scenes at Valley Forge. 

One day, when "Friend Potts," a good Quaker farmer, 
was near the camp, he saw Washington on his knees, his 



GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 275 

cheeks wet with tears, praying for help and guidance. 
When the farmer returned to his home, he said to his wife : 
" George Washington will succeed ! George Washington 
will succeed! The Americans will secure their indepen- 
dence." 

"What makes thee think so, Isaac?" inquired his wife. 

"I have heard him pray, Hannah, out in the woods 
to-day, and the Lord will surely hear his prayer. He will, 
Hannah; thee may rest assured He will." 

Many events happened between this winter at Valley 
Forge and the surrender of Cornwallis with all his army 
at Yorktown, but these we shall take up in a later chapter. 
Washington had led his army through the valley of despair, 
and never again while the war lasted was the sky so dark. 

At the close of the war Washington was glad to return 
to Mount Vernon and become a Virginia planter once 
more. But, as we shall learn further on, he was not per- 
mitted to spend the remainder of his days in the quiet rural 
life which he liked so well. For his countrymen had come 
to honor and trust him as their leader, and the time was 
not far away when they would again seek his firm and 
wise guidance. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What kind of army did Washington have when he took command 

at Cambridge ? 

2. What was the Declaration of Independence, and when was it 

signed ? 



276 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

3. How did Washington show his ability as a general at New York ? 

What great mistake did General Howe make at that time ? 

4. What did Nathan Hale do ? What do you think of him ? 

5. Imagine yourself with Washington in the attack upon Trenton; 

and tell what happened. 

6. What were the results of the capture of Burgoyne ? 

7. Who was Lafayette, and what did he do for the American cause ? 

8. Describe as well as you can the sufferings of the Americans at 

Valley Forge. 

9. Are you making frequent use of the map ? 



CHAPTER XXVII 



NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES IN THE 

SOUTH 

We have given a rapid glance at the part which Wash- 
ington took in the Revolution. He, as commander-in- 
chief, stands first. But he would have been quick to say 
that much of the credit for the success in that uneven 
struggle was due to the able generals who carried out his 
plans. Standing next to Wash- 
ington himself as a military 
leader was Nathanael Greene. 

As you remember, the first 
fighting of the Revolution was 
in New England near Boston. 
Failing there, the British tried 
hard to get control of the Hud- 
son River and the Middle States, 
as we have just seen. Again they 
were baffled by Washington. 

One course remained, and 
that was to gain control of the southern States. Beginning 
in Georgia, they captured Savannah. Two years later in 
May (1780), they captured General Lincoln and all his 

277 




Nathanael Greene 



27S LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

force at Charleston, and in the following August badly de- 
feated General Gates, at Camden, South Carolina, where 
with a new army he was now commanding in General 
Lincoln's place. 

The outlook for the patriot cause was discouraging. 
One thing was certain. A skilful general must take charge 
of the Amei'3an forces in the south, or the British would 
soon have everything in their own hands. Washington 
had great faith in General Greene, and did not hesitate to 
appoint him for this hard task. Let us see what led the 
commander-in-chief to choose this New England man for 
duty in a post so far away. 

Nathanael Greene was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, 
in 1742. His father, who on week-days was a blacksmith 
and miller, on Sundays was a Quaker preacher. Nathanael 
was trained to work at the forge and in the mill and in the 
fields as well. He was robust and active and, like young 
George Washington, a leader in outdoor sports. But with 
all his other activities he was also, like young Samuel 
Adams, a good student of books. 

We like to think of these colonial boys going to school 
and playing at games just as boys do now, quite unaware 
of the great things waiting for them to do in the world. 
Had they known of their future, they could have prepared 
in no better way than by taking their faithful part in the 
work and honest sport of each day as it came. 

Greene, being ten years younger than Washington, was 



NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 279 



~V I K G 






about thirty-two years old when the Boston Tea Party 
and those other exciting events of that time occurred. - 

Although news did not travel so rapidly then as now, 
Greene was soon aware that war was likely to break out 
at any time, and he 
took an active part in 
preparing for it. He 
helped to organize a 
company of soldiers 
who should be ready to 
fight for the American 
cause, and made the 
trip from Rhode Island 
to Boston to get a 
musket for himself. In 
Boston he watched with 
much interest the Brit- 
ish regulars taking their 
drill, and brought back 
with him not only a musket, hidden under some straw in 
his wagon, but also a runaway British soldier, who was to 
drill his company. 

When news of the battle of Bunker Hill passed swiftly 
over the country, proving that the war had actually begun, 
Rhode Island raised three regiments of troops and placed 
Greene at their head as general. He marched at once to 
Boston, and when Washington arrived to take command 



NORTH 

.Kiug's Mount 
Cowpens 



. •Camdeu x 
SOUTH CAROLINA 



©7 

»S Eutaw Springs 





The War in the South. 



280 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

of the American troops, it was General Greene who had the 
honor of welcoming him in the name of the army. 

GENERAL GREENE IN THE SOUTH 

At this time Greene was a man of stalwart appearance, 
six feet tall, strong and vigorous in body, and with a frank, 
intelligent face. At once he won the friendship and con- 
fidence of Washington, who always trusted him with posi- 
tions calling for courage, ability, and skill. It was not long 
before he was Washington's right-hand man. So you can 
easily see why Washington chose him in 1780 as com- 
mander of the American army in the south. 

When General Greene reached the Carolinas, it was 
December, and he found the army in a pitiable condition. 
There was but a single blanket for the use of every three 
soldiers, and there was not food enough in camp to last 
three days. The soldiers had lost heart because of defeat, 
they were angry because they had not been paid, and many 
were sick because they had not enough to eat. They camped 
in rude huts made of fence rails, corn-stalks, and brushwood. 

A weak man would have said: "What can I do with 
an army like this? The task is impossible. To remain 
here is to fail, so I will resign." 

But General Greene said nothing of the kind. He set 
to work with a will, for he believed that the right was on 
his side. By wise planning, skilful handling of the army, 
and hard labor, he managed, with the forces at hand, to 



NATHAN AEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 281 

ward off the enemy, get food supplies, and put new spirit 
into his men. 

Soon he won the confidence and love of both officers 
and soldiers. A story is told that shows us the sympathy 




The Meeting of Greene and Gates upon Greene's Assuming Command. 



he had for his men and their faith in him. On one oc- 
casion Greene said to a barefoot sentinel: "How you must 
suffer from cold!" Not knowing that he spoke to his 
general, the soldier replied: "I do not complain. I know I 
should have what I need if our general could get supplies." 



282 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

DANIEL MORGAN, THE GREAT RIFLEMAN 

It was indeed fortunate for General Greene that in this 
time of need his men were so loyal to him. Among them 
was one who later became noted for his brilliant, daring 
exploits. This was Daniel Morgan, the great rifleman. 
You will be interested to hear of some of his thrilling ex- 
periences. 

When about nineteen years old, Morgan began his mili- 
tary career as a teamster in Braddock's army, and at the 
time of Braddock's defeat he did good service by bringing 
wounded men off the battle-field. It was about this time 
that he became known to Washington, who liked and 
trusted him. The young man was so dependable and 
brave that he was steadily promoted. 

When he was twenty-three, he had an exciting adven- 
ture which brought him the only wound he ever received. 
It was during the Last French War. With two other men, 
he was sent to carry a message to the commanding officer 
at Winchester. They had still about a mile to ride when 
a party of French and Indians who were hiding in the woods 
near the roadside fired upon them. Morgan's comrade 
fell dead instantly. He himself was so severely wounded 
in the neck by a musket-ball that he came near fainting and 
believed he was going to die. But he managed to cling to 
his horse's neck and spurred him along the forest trail. 

One Indian, hoping to get Morgan's scalp, ran for a 



NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEORES 283 



time beside the horse. But when he saw that the animal 
was outstripping him, he gave up the chase, hurling his 
tomahawk with an angry yell at the fleeing man. Morgan 
was soon safe in the hands of friends. 

During the Revolution his services were, in more than 
one critical situation, of great value to the American cause. 
In the campaign which ended 
with Burgoyne's defeat, for in- 
stance, his riflemen fought like 
heroes. General Burgoyne, after 
his surrender, exclaimed to Mor- 
gan: "Sir, you command the 
finest regiment in the world.'' 

Indeed, it was regarded at 
that time as the best regiment 
in the American army, and this 
was largely due to Morgan's skill 
in handling his men. He made them feel as if they were one 
family. He was always thoughtful for their health and com- 
fort, and he appealed to their pride but never to their fear. 

He was a very tall and strong man, with handsome 
features and a remarkable power to endure. His manner 
was quiet and refined, and his noble bearing indicated a 
high sense of honor. He was liked by his companions be- 
cause he was always good-natured and ready for the most 
daring adventure. 

General Greene made good use of this true patriot, 




Daniel Morgan. 



284 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

and not long after taking command of the army he sent 
Morgan with nine hundred picked men to the westward 
to threaten the British outposts. General Cornwallis, in 
command of the British army in the south ; ordered Colo- 
nel Tarleton to lead a body of soldiers against Morgan. 

Early in the morning of January 17 ; 1781, after a hard 
night march, Tarleton, overconfident of success, attacked 
Morgan at Cowpens, in the northern part of South Caro- 
lina. The Americans stood up bravely against the attack 
and won a brilliant victory. The British lost almost their 
entire force, including six hundred prisoners. 

Cornwallis was bitterly disappointed, for his plan, under- 
taken in such confidence, had ended in a crushing defeat. 
However, gathering his forces together, he set out to march 
rapidly across country in pursuit of Morgan, hoping to 
overwhelm him and recapture the six hundred British 
prisoners before he could join Greene's army. 

But Morgan was too waiy to be caught napping, and, 
suspecting that this would be Cornwallis's game, he re- 
treated rapidly in a northeasterly direction toward that 
part of the army under Greene. 

Meantime Greene had heard the glorious news of the 
American victory at Cowpens, and he too realized that 
there was great danger of Morgan's falling into the hands 
of Cornwallis. To prevent this, and at the same time 
draw Cornwallis far away from his supplies at Wilmington, 
he decided to go to Morgan's relief. 



NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 285 

Sending his army by an easier, roundabout route, he 
himself with a small guard rode swiftly a distance of one 
hundred and fifty miles across the rough country and 
joined Morgan on the last day of January. 

Morgan was cleverly retreating with Cornwallis in hot 
pursuit. For ten days the race for life continued, with the 
chances in favor of Cornwallis, for his army was larger, 
besides being trained and disciplined. 

This was a famous retreat. It covered a distance of 
two hundred miles through the Carolinas, across three rivers 
whose waters, swollen by recent rains, rose rapidly after the 
Americans had crossed, and checked the British in their 
pursuit. When the last river, the Dan, was forded, the 
chase was so close that the rear of the retreating army 
had a skirmish with the van of the pursuers. Yet Greene 
was so alert and skilful that he escaped every danger and 
saved his army. 

In this trying campaign valuable aid was given by 
"partisans" in the south. These were private companies, 
not part of the regular army. Such companies had been 
formed in the south by both sides, and that is why they 
were called "partisans." 

MARION, THE " SWAMP FOX " 

Perhaps the most noted partisan leader was Francis 
Marion, of South Carolina. He was born in Georgetown, 
South Carolina, in 1732, and was therefore the same age as 



I'M', 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



Washington. Although as a child he was very frail, he 
became strong as he grew older. As a man he was short 
and slight of frame, but strong and hardy in consti- 
tution. 

When the British began to swarm into South Carolina, 
Marion raised and drilled a company of neighbors and 

friends, known as "Marion's 
Brigade." These men were 
without uniforms or tents, and 
they served without pay. They 
did not look much like soldiers 
on parade, but were among the 
bravest and best fighters of the 
Revolution. Their swords were 
beaten out of old mill-saws at 
the country forge, and their 
bullets were made largely from 
pewter mugs and other pewter utensils. Their rations 
were very scant and simple. Marion, their leader, as a 
rule, ate hominy and potatoes and drank water flavored 
with a little vinegar. 

The story is told that one day a British officer came to 
the camp with a flag of truce. After the officers had talked, 
Marion, with his usual delicate courtesy, invited the visitor 
to dinner. We can imagine the Englishman's surprise 
when, on a log which made the camp table, there was 
served a dinner consisting only of roasted sweet potatoes 




Francis Marion. 



NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 287 

passed on pieces of bark! The officer was still more 
amazed to learn that even potatoes were something of a 
luxury. 

Marion's brigade of farmers and hunters seldom num- 
bered more than seventy, and often less than twenty. 




Marion Surprising a British Wagon-Train. 

But with this veiy small force he annoyed the British be- 
yond measure by rescuing prisoners, and by capturing 
supply-trains and outposts. 

One day a scout brought in the report that a party of 
ninety British with two hundred prisoners were on the 
march for Charleston. Waiting for the darkness to con- 
ceal his movements, Marion with thirty men sallied out, 



288 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

swooped down upon the British camp, capturing the entire 
force and rescuing all the American prisoners. 

It was the custom of Marion's men, when hard pressed 
by a superior force, to^scatter, each man looking out for 
himself. 'Often they would dash headlong into a dense, 
dark swamp, to meet again at some place agreed upon. 
Even while they were still in hiding, they would some- 
times dart out just as suddenly as they had vanished, and 
surprise another squad of British which might be near at 
hand. "Swamp Fox" was the name the British gave to 
Marion. 

With the aid of such partisan bands, and with skilful 
handling of his army, Greene was more than a match for 
Cornwallis. He was not strong enough just yet for a 
pitched battle, but he kept Cornwallis chasing without 
losing his own army. That was about all he could hope to 
do for a while. 

But when he received recruits from Virginia, he thought 
it wise to strike a blow, even though he could not win a 
victory. Turning, therefore, upon his enemy, he fought a 
battle at Guilford Court House, North Carolina (March, 
1781). 

He was defeated, but came off as well as he expected, 
and so crippled the British army that Cornwallis had to 
retreat. He went to the coast to get supplies for his half- 
starved men. Like the battle of Bunker Hill, it was a 
dearly bought victory for the British. 



NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 289 

Cornwallis now saw clearly that he could not hope 
longer for success in the south, and having taken on fresh 
supplies, he marched northward to try his luck at York- 
town, Virginia. 

Washington, with an army of French and American 
troops, was at the time in camp on the Hudson River, 
waiting for the coming of the French fleet to New York. 
That city was still in the hands of the British. As soon 
as this fleet should arrive, Washington expected to attack 
the British army in New York by land, while the fleet 
attacked it by sea. 

But the French fleet was well on its way to the Chesa- 
peake instead of to New York as expected. When this 
information came to Washington, he worked out a bold 
and brilliant scheme. It was to march his army as quickly 
and as secretly as possible to Yorktown, a distance of four 
hundred miles, there join the American army under La- 
fayette, and, combining with the French fleet on its arrival, 
capture the British under Cornwallis. 

This daring scheme succeeded so well that Cornwallis 
surrendered his entire army of eight thousand men on 
October 19, 1781. This important event, which practically 
ended the war, we shall speak of again. 

The surrender at Yorktown ended the fighting, although 
the treaty of peace was not signed until 1783. By that 
treaty the Americans won their independence from Eng- 
land. The country which they could now call their own 



290 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

extended from Canada to Florida, and from the Atlantic 
Ocean to the Mississippi River. 

After the treaty of peace was signed, and the army 
disbanded, General Greene went home. In 1785 he moved 
with his family to a plantation which the State of Georgia 
had given him. Here he lived in quiet and happiness, but 
only a short time, for he died of sunstroke at the age of 
forty-four. His comrade Anthony Wayne, voiced the feel- 
ing of his countrymen when he said: "I have seen a great 
and good man die." 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell what you can about General Greene's early life. 

2. What was the condition of his army when he took command in 

the South ? How did he prove his strength at that time ? 

3. What kind of man was Daniel Morgan, and what do you think of 

him? 

4. Tell all you can about Marion, the "Swamp Fox," and his ways 

of making trouble for the British. 

5. When did the Revolution begin? When did it end? What did 

the Americans win by the treaty? What was the extent of 
our country at that time? 



CHAPTER XXVIII 
JOHN PAUL JONES 

While the Revolution was being fought out on the 
land, important battles were taking place also at sea. 
Until this war began, the Americans had had no need of 

a navy because the mother 

t country had protected them. 
But when unfriendly feeling 
arose, Congress ordered war 
vessels to be built. These 
were very useful in capturing 
British vessels, many of which 
were loaded with arms and 
ammunition intended for Brit- 
ish soldiers. Powder, as you 
c * will remember, was sorely 

John Paul Jones. 

needed by Washington's army. 

Among the men who commanded the American war 
vessels were some noted sea-captains, the most famous of 
whom was John Paul Jones. 

He was of Scottish birth. His father, John Paul, was 
a gardener, who lived on the southwestern coast of Scot- 
land. The cottage in which our hero spent his early boy- 

291 



292 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

hood days stood near the beautiful bay called Solway Firth, 
which made a safe harbor for ships in time of storm. 

Here little John Paul heard many sailors tell thrilling 
stories of adventure at sea and in far-away lands. Here, 
also, to the inlets along the shore, the active lad and his 
playmates took their tiny boats and made believe they were 
sailors, John Paul always acting as captain. Sometimes 
when he was tired and all alone, he would sit by the hour 
watching the big waves rolling in, and dreaming perhaps 
of the day .when he would become a great sea-captain. 

When he was only twelve, he wished to begin his life 
as a real sailor. So his father apprenticed him to a mer- 
chant afe Whitehaven who owned a vessel and traded in 
goods brought from other lands. Soon afterward John 
Paul went on a voyage to Virginia, where the vessel was to 
be loaded with tobacco. While there he visited an older 
brother, who owned a plantation at Fredericksburg. 

For six years John Paul remained with the Whitehaven 
merchant, and during this time he learned much about good 
seamanship. After the merchant failed in business, John 
Paul still continued to follow a seafaring life, and in a short 
time became a captain. But when his brother in Virginia 
died, John Paul went to Fredericksburg to manage the 
plantation his brother had left. 

It was now his intention to spend the rest of his life 
here, but, like Patrick Henry, he failed as a farmer. In 
fact, it would seem that he was born to be a sailor. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 



293 



In the meantime he had come to be a loyal American, 
and when the Revolution broke out he determined to 
offer his services to Congress. When he did so, he changed 
his name to John Paul Jones. Just why, we do not know. 




Battle Between the Ranger and the Drake. 

Congress accepted his services by appointing him first 
lieutenant. He proved himself so able that in the second 
year of the war he was put in command of two vessels, with 
which he captured sixteen prizes in six weeks. 

In the following year he was appointed captain of the 
Ranger and sent to France with letters to Benjamin Frank- 
lin, who was then American commissioner at the French 
court, trying to secure aid for the American cause. 



294 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

At that time English vessels were annoying American 
coasts by burning and destroying property. Jones got per- 
mission from Franklin to attack British coasts in the same 
way, and he was allowed to sail from France in his vessel 
with that purpose in view. 

His plan was to sail along the western coast of England 
and set fire to the large shipping-yards at Whitehaven, with 
which harbor, you remember, he had become familiar in 
boyhood. He meant to burn all the three hundred vessels 
lying at anchor there. Although he succeeded in setting 
fire to only one large ship, he alarmed the people all along 
the coast. The warning was carried from town to town: 
"Beware of Paul Jones, the pirate!" 

An English war vessel, the Drake, was sent out to cap- 
ture the Ranger. As the Drake carried two more guns and 
a crew better drilled for fighting, it was thought she would 
make short work of the American ship in a fight. But it 
was just the other way, for after a battle of a single hour 
the English vessel surrendered, having lost many men. 
The American loss was only two men killed and six 
wounded. 

After this brilliant victory the young captain put back 
to France. There he found great rejoicing among the peo- 
ple, whose good-will was more with America than with 
England. And as war had already broken out between 
France and England, the French King was quite willing to 
furnish Jones with a considerable naval force. 



JOHX PAUL JONES 295 



A DESPERATE SEA DUEL 



Accordingly, in August, 1779, Captain Jones put to sea 
once more, this time with a fleet of four vessels. He named 
his flag-ship Bon Homme Richard (bo-nom'-re -shar'), after 
the Richard of Poor Richard's Almanac, which you will 
remember Benjamin Franklin had written. 

In this ship, which was old, he set out to cruise along 
the western coast of Ireland, in order to capture English 
merchant vessels. After reaching the southern point of 
Ireland, he cruised northward around Scotland and down 
its eastern coast. Then he sailed up and down the eastern 
coast of England, looking for merchant vessels. 

At noon on the 23d of September Jones sighted a fleet 
of forty-two merchantmen, guarded by two English ships 
of war, all sailing from the north. He at once decided to 
make an attack. This took place early in the evening, 
the action being mainly between the Richard and the 
English man-of-war Serapis, which was a large ship, new 
and swift, and very much better than the Richard. 

During the first hour the American vessel got the worst 
of the fight and "was leaking like a basket." The English 
captain, feeling sure of victory, called out: "Has your ship 
struck?" Our hero, Paul Jones, shouted back: "I have 
not yet begun to fight !" 

As the British vessel came alongside his own for a more 
deadly struggle, Jones with his own hands lashed the two 



296 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



together. Soon both were badly leaking, but the fighting 
went on as fiercely as ever. Presently both caught fire. 

Then Jones turned his cannon upon the mainmast of 
the Serapis, and when it threatened to fall the English cap- 




The Fight Between the Bon Homme Riehafr'i and the Serapis. 



tain surrendered. So after all it was the English ship and 
not the American that "struck" the flag. But the Richard 
could not have held out much longer, for even before the 
surrender she had begun to sink. 

When the English captain gave up his sword to John 
Paul Jones, he said: "It is very hard to surrender to a man 
who has fought with a halter around his neck." You see, 



JOHN PAUL JONES 297 

Captain Jones would have been hanged as a pirate, if taken. 
Jones replied: "Sir, you have fought like a hero. I hope 
your King will reward you." 

This was a desperate sea duel, and it lasted from half 
past seven in the evening until ten o'clock. It was im- 
portant also in its results, for it won much needed respect 
for our flag and gave a wonderful uplift to the American 
cause. The victor, John Paul Jones, who was loaded with 
honors, from that day took rank with the great sea-cap- 
tains of the world. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell all you can about the early life of John Paul Jones. 

2. Why did the English call him a pirate when he was sailing along 

the British coasts in order to destroy property? 

3. What was the outcome of the desperate sea duel between the 

Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis ? 

4. What do you admire about John Paul Jones ? 

5. Do not fail to locate every event upon the map. 



CHAPTER XXIX 
DANIEL BOONE 

You remember that when the Last French War began, 
in 1756, the English colonists lived almost entirely east of 
the Alleghany Mountains. If you will look at your map, 
you will see how small a part of our present great country 
they occupied. 

Even up to the beginning of the Revolution the Ameri- 
cans had few settlers west of the Alleghanies, and had done 
very little there to make good their claims to land. 

Yet at the close of the war we find that their western 
boundary-line had been pushed back as far as the Missis- 
sippi River. How this was done we shall see if we turn 
our attention to those early hunters and backwoodsmen 
who did great service to our country as pioneers in open- 
ing up new lands. 

One of the most famous of these was Daniel Boone. 
He was born in Pennsylvania, and, like many of the heroes 
of the Revolution, he was born in the "thirties" (1735). 

As a boy, Daniel liked to wander in the woods with 
musket and fishing-rod, and was never so happy as when 
alone in the wild forest. The story is told that while a 
mere lad he wandered one day into the woods some dis- 

298 



DANIEL BOONE 



299 



tance from home and built himself a rough shelter of logs, 
where he would spend days at a time, with only his rifle 
for company. 

As he was a "good shot/' we may be sure he never went 
hungry for lack of food. The game which his rifle brought 
down he would cook over a 
pile of burning sticks. If you 
have done outdoor camp cook- 
ing, you can almost taste its 
woodland flavor. Then at night 
as he lay under the star-lit sky 
on a bed of leaves, with the 
skin of a wild animal for cover- 
ing, a prince might have envied 
his dreamless slumber. 

This free, wild life made 

him thoroughly at home in the forests, and trained him 

for the work he was to do later as a fearless hunter and 

woodsman. 

When Daniel was about thirteen years old his father 

removed to North Carolina and settled on the Yadkin 
River. There the boy grew to manhood. After his mar- 
riage, at twenty, he built himself a hut far out in the lonely 
forest, beyond the homes of the other settlers. 

But he was a restless man and looked with longing 
toward the rugged mountains on the west. Along the foot- 
hills other pioneer settlers and hunters had taken up their 




Daniel Boone. 



300 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

abode. And young Boone's imagination leaped to the 
country beyond the mountains, where the forest stretched 
for miles upon miles, no one knew how far, to the Missis- 
sippi River. It was an immense wilderness teeming with 
game, and he wanted to hunt and explore in it. 

He was twenty-five when he made the first "long hunt" 
we know about. At this time he went as far as what is 
now Boone's Creek, in eastern Tennessee. 

Other trips doubtless he made which increased his love 
for wandering; and in 1769, nine years after his first trip, 
having heard from a stray Indian of a wonderful hunting- 
ground far to the west, he started out with this Indian 
and four other men to wander through the wilderness of 
Kentucky. 

For five weeks these bold hunters threaded their way 
through lonely and pathless mountain forests, facing many 
dangers from wild beasts and Indians. 

BOONE GOES TO KENTUCKY 

But when, in June, they reached the blue-grass region 
of Kentucky, a beautiful land of stretching prairies, lofty 
forests, and running streams, they felt well repaid for all 
the hardships of their long journey. It was indeed as the 
Indian had said, alive with game. Buffaloes, wolves, bears, 
elk, deer, and wild beasts of many kinds abounded, making 
truly a hunter's paradise. 

They at once put up a log shelter, and for six months 



DANIEL BOONE 



30] 



they hunted to their hearts' content. Then one day two 
of the party, Boone himself and a man named Stewart, 
while off on a hunting expedition, were captured by an 
Indian band. For several days the dusky warriors care- 




Boone's Escape from the Indians. 

fully guarded the two white captives. But on the seventh 
night, having eaten greedily of game they had killed during 
the day, they fell into a sound sleep. 

Then Boone, who had been watching for this chance, 
arose quietly from his place among the sleeping Indians 
and gently wakened Stewart. The two crept stealthily 
away until out of hearing of the Indians, when, rising to 
their feet, they bounded off like deer through the dark 
woods to their own camp. But they found no one there, 
for the rest of the party had fled back home. 

However, Boone and Stewart stayed on, and some 



302 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

weeks later they were pleasantly surprised when Daniel's 
brother, Squire Boone, also a woodsman, unexpectedly ar- 
rived with another man and joined the camp. The four 
were quite contented, living and hunting together, until 
one day Stewart was shot by an Indian and killed. His 
death so frightened the man who had come over the moun- 
tains with Squire Boone, that the woods lost their charm 
for the poor fellow and he went back home. 

So only the two brothers were left. They remained 
together three months longer in a little cabin in the forest. 
Then, as their powder and lead were getting low, Squire 
Boone returned to North Carolina for a fresh supply, leav- 
ing his brother to hold the hunting-ground. 

Now Boone was left all alone. His life was continually 
in danger from the Indians. For fear of being surprised, 
he dared not sleep in camp, but hid himself at night in the 
cane-brake or thick underbrush, not even kindling a fire 
lest he should attract the Indians. 

During these weeks of waiting for his brother, he led 
a very lonely life. In all that time he did not speak to 
a single human being, nor had he even a dog, cat, or horse 
for company. Without salt, sugar, or flour, his sole food 
was the game he shot or caught in traps. 

How gladly he must have welcomed his brother, who 
returned at the end of two months, bringing the needed 
supplies ! Other hunters also came from time to time, and 
Boone joined one party of them for a while. 



DANIEL BOONE 303 

After two years of his life in the woods he returned to 
his home on the Yadkin to bring ,ut his wife and children. 

By September, 1773, he had sold his farm and was ready 
with his family to go and settle in Kentucky. He had 
praised the new land so much that many others wished 
to go with him. So when he started there were, besides 
his wife and children, five families and forty men driving 
their horses and cattle before them. This group was the 
first to attempt settlement far out in the wilderness, away 
from the other settlers. 

But while still on its way, the little company was set 
upon by a band of Indians near a narrow and difficult 
pass in the mountains. Six men were killed, among them 
Boone's eldest son, and the cattle were scattered. This 
misfortune brought such gloom upon the party that all 
turned back for a time to a settlement on the Clinch River. 

But Daniel Boone was one of those who would not give 
up. He said of himself that he was "ordained of God to 
settle the wilderness," and in the end he carried out his 
unflinching purpose to make his home in the beautiful 
Kentucky region. 

This region had already become well known by report 
east of the mountains. The Indians called it "a dark and 
bloody ground," for, as an old chief told Boone, many 
tribes hunted and fought there, and the Indians had roamed 
over it for hundreds of years. 

But none of the tribes really owned the land. So it 



304 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

was not possible to buy any part of it outright. Yet, to 
avoid strife, a friend of Eoone's, Richard Henderson, and a 
few others made treaties with the most powerful tribe, 
the Cherokees, who said that they might settle there. 

As soon as it became certain that the Indians would 
not make trouble, Henderson sent Boone, in charge of 
thirty men, to open a pathway from the Holston River 
through Cumberland Gap to the Kentucky River. 

With their axes the men chopped out a path through 
the dense undergrowth and cane-brakes broad enough for 
a pack-horse. You will be interested to know that this 
bridle-path was the beginning of the famous "Wilderness 
Road," as it is still called. Later the narrow trail was 
widened into a highway for wagons, and it was along this 
way, rightly called a "wilderness road," that in later years 
so many thousand settlers led their pack-trains over the 
mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee. 

But that is taking a long look ahead ! Just now we are 
thinking about the very first of these settlers, Daniel Boone 
and his company. 

THE KENTUCKY SETTLERS AT BOONESBOROUGH 

When they reached the Kentucky River, Boone and his 
followers built a fort on the left bank of the stream and 
called it Boonesborough. Its four walls consisted in part 
of the outer sides of log cabins, and in part of a stockade, 
some twelve feet high, made by setting deep into the ground 



DANIEL BOONE 



305 



stout posts with pointed tops. In all the cabins there were 
loopholes through which to shoot, and at each corner of 
the fort stood a loophole blockhouse. There were also two 
strong wooden 




,~-~rr~-M 



gates on opposite 
sides of the fort. 

After the fort 
was built, Boone 
went back to the 
Clinch River and 
brought on his 
wife and chil- 
dren. When they 
settled, it was 
springtime, and 
Kentucky was at 
its best. Trees 
were in leaf, the beautiful dogwood was in flower, and the 
woods were fragrant with the blossoms of May. Do you 
wonder that they loved their new home? 

At first the cattle and horses were always driven into 
the fort at night. Later, however, every settler had a cabin 
in his own clearing, where he lived with his family and took 
care of his own stock. But even then in time of great 
danger all went to the fort, driving their animals inside its 
walls. This fort, with the outlying cabins, made the first 
permanent settlement in Kentucky. 



Boonesborough. 



306 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Boone was a man you would have liked to know. Even 
the Indians admired him. He was tall and slender, with 
muscles of iron, and so healthy and strong that he could 
endure great hardship. Though quiet and serious, his 
courage never shrank in the face of danger, and men 
believed in him because he believed in himself, while at 
the same time his kind heart and tender sympathy won 
him lasting friendships. These vigorous and sterling quali- 
ties commanded respect everywhere. 

As a rule he wore the Indian garb of fur cap, fringed 
hunting-shirt, moccasins and leggings, all made from the 
skins of wild animals he had taken. This dress best suited 
the wilderness life. 

Of course, this life in a new country would not be with- 
out its exciting adventures. One day, some months after 
Boone's family had come to Boonesborough, Boone's daugh- 
ter, with two girl friends, was on the river floating in a boat 
near the bank. Suddenly five Indians darted out of the 
woods, seized the three girls, and hurried away with them. 
In their flight the Indians observed the eldest of the girls 
breaking twigs and dropping them in their trail. They 
threatened to tomahawk her unless she stopped it. But, 
watching her chance, from time to time she tore off strips 
of her dress and dropped them as a clew for those she 
knew would come to rescue them. 

When the capture became known, Boone, accompanied 
by the three lovers of the captured maidens and four other 



DANIEL BOONE 307 

men from the fort, started upon the trail and kept up the 
pursuit until, early on the second morning, they discovered 
the Indians sitting around a fire cooking breakfast. Sud- 
denly the white men fired a volley, killing two of the In- 
dians and frightening the others so badly that they beat 
a hasty retreat without harming the girls. 

Another exciting experience, which nearly caused the 
settlement to lose its leader, came about through the set- 
tlers' need of salt. We can get salt so easily that it is hard 
to imagine the difficulty which those settlers, living far 
back from the ocean, had in obtaining this necessary part 
of their food. They had to go to " salt-licks," as they 
called the grounds about the salt-water springs. The 
men would get the salt water from the springs and boil 
it until all the water evaporated and left the salt behind. 

Boone with twenty-nine other men had gone, early in 
1778, to the Blue Licks to make salt for the settlement. 
They were so successful that in a few weeks they were able 
to send back a load so large that it took three men to carry 
it. Hardly had they started, however, when the men re- 
maining, including Boone, were surprised by eighty or ninety 
Indians, captured, and carried off to the English at Detroit. 

For we must not forget that all this time, while we have 
been following Boone's fortunes west of the Alleghanies, 
on the east side of those mountains the Revolution was 
being fought, and the Indians west of the Alleghanies were 
fighting on the English side. They received a sum of 



80S LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

money for handing over to the English at Detroit any 
Americans they might capture, and that is why the Indians 
took Boone and his companions to that place. 

But, strangely enough, the Indians decided not to give 
Boone up, although the English, realizing that he was a 
prize, offered five hundred dollars for him. The Indians 
admired him because he was a mighty hunter, and the}' 
liked him because he was cheerful. So they adopted him 
into the tribe and took him to their home. 

Boone remained with them two months, making the 
best of the life he had to lead. But when he overheard the 
Indians planning to make an attack upon Boonesborough, 
he made up his mind to escape if possible and give his 
friends warning. 

His own words tell the brave story in a simple way: 
"On the 16th of June, before sunrise, I departed in the 
most secret manner, and arrived in Boonesborough on the 
20th ; after a journey of one hundred and sixty miles, dur- 
ing which I had but one meal." ' He could not get any food, 
for he dared not use his gun nor build a fire for fear his foes 
might find out where he was. He reached the fort in safety, 
and was of great service in beating off the attacking party. 
This is only one of the many narrow escapes of this fearless 
backwoodsman. 

Another incident illustrates his quick wit. One day, 
while he was in a shed looking after some tobacco, four 
Indians with loaded guns appeared at the door. They 



DANIEL BOONE 



309 



said: "Now, Boone, we got you. You no get away any 
more. You no cheat us any more." While they were 
speaking Boone had gathered up in his arms a number of 
dry tobacco 
leaves. Rub- 
bing them to 
dust, he sud- 
denly flung it 
into the faces of 
the Indians, fill- 
ing their eyes 
and nostrils. 
Then, while they 
were coughing, 
sneezing, and 
rubbing their 
eyes, he escaped. 

These are but 
a few of Boone's 
dangerous adventures. From them all he came out safe 
and for years continued to be the able leader of the set- 
tlers at Boonesborough. 

There he remained until after Kentucky was admitted 
as a State into the Union (1791). Four years later he 
moved still farther west, led on by love for the wild, lonely 
life of the forest, a life which never lost its charm for him, 
even down to his last days. 




Boone Throwing Tobacco into the Eyes of the Indians 
Who Had Come to Capture Him. 



310 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

He died in 1820, eighty-five years old, his long life 
covering a period of very great change in the growth of 
our country. By that time we had become a nation with 
broadly expanded boundaries. 

It has been said that but for Daniel Boone the settle- 
ment of Kentucky could not have been made for several 
years. However this may be, we know that he was one 
of those fearless and daring men whose courage helped to 
establish that part of our country long known as "the West." 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What kind of boyhood had Daniel Boone? 

2. Imagine yourself to have been in his place during the weeks when 

he was alone in the Kentucky forests; give an account of 
what happened. 

3. Tell about his second capture by the Indians and his escape. 

Why did they admire him ? 

4. What did he do for Kentucky? What kind of man was he? 



CHAPTER XXX 



JAMES ROBERTSON 



Another pioneer who lived in Boone's day was James 
Robertson. Like Boone, he came from North Carolina, 
and he led the way for the settling of Tennessee very much 
as Boone did for Kentucky. The story of those days shows 
that he was one of the most forceful and 
successful of the early English pioneers 
who led out settlements west of the Alle- 
ghanies. 

Born in 1742, Robertson was ten years 
younger than Washington. But this boy's 
early life was very different from young 
George Washington's, for little James was 
born in a backwoods cabin, and his father 
and mother were too poor to send him to school. So he 
grew up to manhood without being able to read and write. 

But he wanted to study, and was persevering and brave 
enough to learn the letters of the alphabet and how to spell 
and to write after he had grown to manhood. We can be 
sure, therefore, that James was the right sort of boy, and that 
he would have mastered books if he had been given the 
chance, just as he mastered the wilderness in later life. But 

311 




James Robertson. 



312 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

it is as a backwoodsman that we first come to know Robert- 
son and learn why he was trusted and followed so willingly. 

Although not tall, he was vigorous and robust, having 
fair complexion, dark hair, and honest blue eyes that met 
one's glance squarely. His frank, serious face, his quiet 
manner, and his coolness and daring in the midst of danger 
gave him a mastery over others such as it is given but few 
men to have. 

Like Boone, he was noted as a successful hunter; but 
hunting and exploring were not with him the chief motives 
for going into the wilderness. He was first of all a pioneer 
settler who was seeking rich farming lands with near-by 
springs, where he could make a good home for his family 
and give his children advantages which he himself had 
never enjoyed. 

Led by this motive, he left his home in North Carolina 
to seek his fortune among the forest-clad mountains, whose 
summits he could see far away to the west. With no com- 
panion but his horse and no protection but his rifle, he 
slowly and patiently made his way through the trackless 
woods, crossing mountain range after mountain range, until 
he came to the region where the rivers flowing westward 
had their beginning. 

Much to his surprise, he found here on the Watauga 
River some settlers from Virginia, who gave him a kindly 
welcome. He stayed long enough to plant a crop of corn 
and see it grow up and ripen. 



JAMES ROBERTSON 



313 



Then ; late in the autumn, having decided that this was 
a good place for his family, he started back home. His 
faithful horse was his only companion. Some corn in his 
leather wallet was all the food he carried. He trusted his 
rifle for the rest. 

All went well for a time, but in the depth of the path- 
less forest he missed his way, and the mountains became 





L.L -POSIES CO. 



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Early Settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee. 

so steep and rough that his horse could not get across. 
Imagine his sorrow when, to save his own life, he had to 
part from his dumb friend and start on alone. 

Other misfortunes befell him. The little store of corn 
that he had brought with him gave out, and his powder 
became so wet that it was useless for shooting game. So 
almost his only food for fourteen days was such nuts and 
berries as he could gather in his desperate search. 

He was near death by starvation when he chanced to 



314 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

meet two hunters. They gave him food and asked him to 
join them. Then, allowing him to take turns in riding 
their horses, they helped him to reach home in safety. 

You might think that this bitter experience would have 
made Robertson unwilling to risk another journey back 
through the wilderness. But, as we have said, he was not 
easily thwarted, and the thought of what lay beyond the 
mountains made him hold the cost light. 

He gave such glowing accounts of the wonderful coun- 
try he had seen that by spring sixteen families were ready 
to go with him to make their home there. 

HOW THE BACKWOODSMEN LIVED 

Let us in imagination join this group of travellers as it 
starts out to cross the mountains. Each family has its 
pack-horse — perhaps a few families have two — carrying 
household goods. These are not so bulky as ours to-day, 
for pioneer life is simple, and the people have at most only 
what they need. There are, of course, some rolls of bedding 
and clothing, a few cooking utensils, a few packages of salt 
and seed corn, and a flask or two of medicine. The pack- 
horse carries also the mother and perhaps a very small child 
or two. The boys who are old enough to shoulder rifles 
march in front with their father, ready to shoot game for 
food or to stand guard against Indians. Some of the older 
children drive the cows which the settlers are taking along 
with them. 



JAMES ROBERSTON 



315 



After reaching the place selected for their settlement, 
the younger children are set to clearing away the brush and 
piling it up in heaps ready for burning. The father and 
the elder sons, who are big enough to wield an axe, lose no 




time in cutting down trees and making a clearing for the 
log cabin. All work with a will, and soon the cabin is 
ready. 

The furniture, like the cabin itself, is rude and simple. 
A bedstead is set up in a corner, a washstand is placed 
near by, and a few three-legged stools are put here and 
there; and of course there is a table to eat at. Places are 
quickly found for the water bucket, used to bring water 
from the stream, the gourd dipper with which to fill it, and 



316 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



other small utensils; while pegs driven into the wall in 
convenient places hold clothes, rifles, skins, and the like. 

If our pioneers are well-to-do, there may be tucked 
away in some pack a wool blanket, but usually the chief 

covering on the bed 
is the dried skin of 
some animal: deer, 
bear, or perhaps 
buffalo. 

There is plenty 
of food, though of 
course it is plain 
and simple, con- 
sisting mostly of 
game. Instead of 
the pork and beef 
which are largely 
eaten in the east, 
we shall find these 
settlers making their meal of bear's meat or venison. 

For flour corn -meal is used. Each family has a mill 
for grinding the kernels into meal, while for beating it into 
hominy they use a crude mortar, made perhaps by burning 
a hole in the top of a block of wood. 

Bread-making is a simpler matter with them than with 
us, for a dough of corn-meal is mixed on a wooden trencher 
and then either baked in the ashes and called ash-cake or 




Grinding Indian Corn 



JAMES ROBERTSON 317 

before the fire on a board and called johnny-cake. Corn- 
meal is also made into mush, or hasty pudding; and when 
the settler has cows, mush-and-milk is a common dish, 
especially for supper. 

For butter the settlers use the fat of bear's meat or the 
gravy of the goose. Instead of coffee, they make a drink 
of parched rye and beans, and for tea they boil sassafras 
root. 

Every backwoodsman must be able to use the rifle to 
good effect, for he has to provide his own meat and protect 
himself and his family from attack. He must be skilful 
also in hiding, in moving noiselessly through the forests, 
and in imitating the notes and calls of different beasts and 
birds. Sharp eyes and ears must tell him where to look for 
his game, and his aim must be swift and sure. 

But most important of all, he must be able to endure 
hardship and exposure. Sometimes he lives for months in 
the woods with no food but meat and no shelter but a 
lean-to of brush or even the trunk of a hollow tree into 
which he may crawl. 

Deer and bear are the most plentiful game; but now and 
then there is an exciting combat with wolves, panthers, or 
cougars, while prowling Indians keep him ever on his 
guard. The pioneer must be strong, alert, and brave. 

Each family depends upon itself for most of the neces- 
saries of life. Each member has his own work. The father 
is the protector and provider; the mother is the housekeeper, 



318 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

the cook ; the weaver, and the tailor. Father and sons 
work out-of-doors with axe, hoe, and sickle; while indoors 
the hum of the spinning-wheel or the clatter of the loom 
shows that mother and daughters are busily doing their 
part. 

There are some articles, however, like salt and iron, 
which the settlers cannot always get in the backwoods. 
These they must obtain by barter. So each family col- 
lects all the furs it can, and once a year, after the harvest 
is gathered, loads them on pack-horses, which are driven 
across the mountains to some large trading town on the 
seacoast. There the skins are traded for the needed iron 
or salt. 

Often many neighbors plan to go together on such a 
journey. Sometimes they drive before them their steers 
and hogs to find a market in the east. 

A bushel of salt costs in these early days a good cow 
and calf. Now, that is a great deal to pay; and further- 
more, as each small and poorly fed pack-animal can carry 
but two bushels, salt is a highly prized article. Since it is 
so expensive and hard to get, it has to be used sparingly by 
the mountaineers. Therefore the housewife, instead of 
salting or pickling her meat, preserves or "jerks" it by 
drying it in the sun or smoking it over the fire. 

The Tennessee settler, like Boone's followers in Ken- 
tucky, dresses very much like the Indians, for that is the 
easiest and most fitting way in which to clothe himself 



JAMES ROBERTSON 



319 






for the forest life he leads. And very fine do many stalwart 
figures appear in the fur cap and moccasins, the loose trou- 
sers, or simply leggings of buckskin, and the fringed hunt- 
ing-shirt reaching nearly to the knees. It is held in by 
a broad belt having a tomahawk in one side and a knife 
in the other. 

While this free outdoor life develops strong and vigor- 
ous bodies, there is not much schooling in these back- 
woods settle- 
ments. Most •srv.w ... \ Hfe^ fc 3KV 

boys and girls 
learn very little 
except reading 
and writing and 
very simple ci- 
phering, or arith- 
metic. If there are any schoolhouses at all, they are log 
huts, dimly lighted and furnished very scantily and rudely. 

The schoolmaster, as a rule, does not know much of 
books, and is quite untrained as a teacher. His discipline, 
though severe, is very poor. And he is paid in a way that 
may seem strange to you. He receives very little in cash, 
and for the rest of his wages he "boards around" with the 
families of the children he teaches, making his stay longer 
or shorter according to the number of children in school. 

In many ways, as you see, the life of the pioneer child, 
while it was active and full of interest, was very different. 




A Kentucky Pioneer's Cabin. 



320 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

from yours. He learned, like his elders, to imitate bird 
calls, to set traps, to shoot a rifle, and at twelve the little 
lad became a foot soldier. He knew from just which loop- 
hole he was to shoot if the Indians attacked the fort, and 
he took pride in becoming a good marksman. He was 
carefully trained, too, to follow an Indian trail and to con- 
ceal his own when on the war-path — for such knowledge 
would be very useful to him as a hunter and fighter in 

the forests. 

i 

ROBERTSON A BRAVE LEADER 

Such was the life of these early woodsmen and their 
families, and to this life Robertson and those who went 
out with him soon became accustomed. On their arrival 
at the Watauga River the newcomers mingled readily with 
the Virginians already on the ground. 

Robertson soon became one of the leading men. His 
cabin of logs stood on an island in the river, and is said 
to have been the largest in the settlement. It had a log 
veranda in front, several rooms, a loft, and best of all, a 
huge fireplace made of sticks and stones laid in clay, in 
which a pile of blazing logs roared on cold days, making 
it a centre of good cheer as well as of heat. To us it would 
have been a most inviting spot for a summer holiday. 

Robertson was very prosperous and successful at Wa- 
tauga; but in 1799, after ten years of leadership at this 
settlement, a restless craving for change and adventure 



JAMES ROBERTSON 321 

stole over him, and he went forth once more into the wil- 
derness to seek a new home still deeper in the forest. 

The place he chose was the beautiful country lying 
along the great bend of the Cumberland River, where 
Nashville now stands. Many bold settlers were ready and 
even eager to join Robertson in the new venture, for he 
was a born leader. 

A small party went ahead early in the spring to plant 
corn, so that the settlers might have food when they ar- 
rived in the autumn. Robertson and eight other men, who 
made up the party, left the Watauga by the Wilderness 
Road through Cumberland Gap, crossing the Cumberland 
River. Then, following the trail of wild animals in a south- 
westerly direction, they came to a suitable place. 

Here they put up cabins and planted corn, and then, 
leaving three men to keep the buffaloes from eating the 
corn when it came up, the other six returned to Watauga. 

In the autumn two parties started out for the new settle- 
ment. One of these, made up mostly of women and chil- 
dren, went by water in flatboats, dugouts, and canoes, a 
route supposed to be easier though much the longer of the 
two. Whether it was easier, we shall see. The other party, 
including Robertson himself, went by land, hoping thus to 
reach the place of settlement in time to make ready for 
those coming by water. 

Robertson and his men arrived about Christmas. Then 
began a tedious four months of waiting for the others. It 



322 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

was springtime again, April 24, when they at last arrived. 
Their roundabout route had taken them down the Tennes- 
see River, then up the Ohio, and lastly up the Cumberland. 
The Indians in ambush on the river banks had attacked 
them many times during their long and toilsome journey, 
and the boats were so slow and clumsy that it was impos- 
sible for them to escape the flights of arrows. 

But when they arrived, past troubles were soon forgotten, 
and with good heart, now that all were together, the settlers 
took up the work of making homes. 

However, difficulties with the Indians were not over. 
The first company of settlers that arrived had been left 
quite unmolested. But now, as spring opened, bands of 
Indian hunters and warriors began to make life wretched 
for them all. There is no doubt that the red men did not 
like to have the settlers kill the game, or scare it off by 
clearing up the land; but the principal motive for the 
attacks was the desire for scalps and plunder, just as it 
was in assailing other Indian tribes. 

The Indians became a constant terror. They killed 
the settlers while working in the clearings, hunting game, 
or getting salt at the licks. They loved to lure on the 
unwary by imitating the gobbling of a turkey or the call 
of some wild beast, and then pounce upon their human 
prey. 

As the corn crop, so carefully planned, had been de- 
stroyed by heavy freshets in the autumn, the settlers had 



JAMES ROBERTSON 323 

to scour the woods for food, living on nuts and game. By 
the time winter had set in, they had used up so much of their 
powder and bullets that Robertson resolved to go to Ken- 
tucky for more. 

ROBERTSON SAVES THE SETTLEMENT 

He went safely, though quite alone, and returned on 
the evening of January 15 (1780) with a good supply of 
ammunition. You may be sure he had a hearty welcome 
in the fort, where all were gathered. There was much to 
talk about, and they sat up till late into the night. All 
went to bed, tired and sleepy, without any fear. For at 
that season of the year the red men seldom molested them; 
and no sentinels were left on guard. 

Soon all were in deep slumber except Robertson, whose 
sense of lurking danger would not let him sleep. He kept 
feeling that enemies might be near. And he was right. 
For just outside the fort, prowling in the thick underbrush 
and hidden by the great trees, there lay in ambush a band 
of painted, warriors, hungry for plunder, eager for scalps. 

They creep forward to their attack. They are very 
cautious, for a bright moon lights up the blockhouses and 
the palisaded fort. 

Suddenly a moving shadow falls upon the moonlit clear- 
ing outside the fort. An Indian is stealthily crossing from 
the dark woods to the wall. There he crouches close, to 
be out of sight of the inmates of the fort. Another crouch- 



324 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

ing figure, and another. One by one every feathered war- 
rior crosses and keeps close to the palisade. 

The next move is to slide cautiously the strong bar and 
undo the chain which fastens the gate. It is done skilfully 
enough, but the chain clanks or the hinges creak. The 
wakeful Robertson springs quickly to his feet. His keen 
eyes catch sight of the swift, dark figures, moving stealthily 
into the fort. 

"Indians!" he shouts, and off goes his rifle. Instantly 
every settler has snatched the gun lying at his side. In a 
second the shots ring out; and the Indians flee through 
the gate to disappear into the leafy woods. But they have 
lost one man, whom Robertson has shot, and have killed 
or wounded three or four of the settlers. Robertson, by 
keen watchfulness, has saved the fort from capture and his 
comrades from probable torture or death. 

This was only one of many occasions in which Robert- 
son's leadership saved the day. After the Revolution ended 
(1783) the Indians were not so unfriendly, for the English 
were no longer paying them for scalps. People, therefore, 
became less timid about crossing the mountains, and a large 
number migrated from Virginia and North Carolina to the 
Tennessee settlement and made their homes at Nashville. 
As numbers grew larger, dangers became less. 

By this time Robertson had become well known through 
the successful planting of his two settlements, and for the 
wisdom and bravery with which he managed them. As a 



JAMES ROBERTSON 325 

reward for his valuable services, Washington later on (1790) 
made him a general in the army. In 1814 he died. 

He is the kind of man we like to think of as a pioneer 
in the making of our history. Sturdy and self-reliant, 
strong and fearless, he cheerfully faced the unending struggle 
with the hard conditions of those early days. Though his 
life was narrow, it cut deep in its loyalty to friends and 
country. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What can you tell of Robertson's boyhood? 

2. Imagine yourself as one of a group of travellers on the way to 

Kentucky or Tennessee, and tell all you can about the journey. 

3. Tell all you can about the food, clothing, shelter, and other con- 

ditions of life in these backwoods settlements. 

4. What sort of training did the pioneer boy receive in school and 

at home? 

5. Why did Robertson plant a settlement at the place where Nash- 

ville now stands ? 

6. How did he save this settlement from the Indians? What do 

you admire about him? 

7. Are you making frequent use of the map ? 



CHAPTER XXXI 
JOHN SEVIER 

Another daring leader who did much to build up the 
settlements in Tennessee was John Sevier. 

Born in 1745, Sevier was but three years younger than 
Robertson, and was closely associated with him in later 

life. Sevier's birthplace was in 
the western part of Virginia, but 
while he was still a young boy, 
the family was driven from their 
home by the Indians and went to 
Fredericksburg, Virginia. There 
he went to the same school which 
George Washington had attended 
not many years before. 

John's mother had taught him 
to read, and at school he learned some useful things; still 
he was not fond of books, and learned most from people 
and what was going on about him. 

He left school when he was sixteen and married before he 
was seventeen. About six miles from his father's house he 
put up a building which was dwelling, storehouse, and fort 
all in one. Here on the frontier he carried on a thriving 

326 




JOHN SEVIER 327 

trade with settlers and Indians, and was so successful that 
by the time he was twenty-six he was looked upon as a 
rich man. 

He was attractive in appearance, being tall, slender, 
and erect, with frank blue eyes, fair skin, and brown hair. 
He was a man of commanding presence, and his athletic 
figure seemed well suited to the fringed hunting-suit which 
every pioneer wore. 

His merry disposition and great charm of manner easily 
won many friends; and these he kept by his natural kind- 
ness and courtesy. He was never happier than when en- 
tertaining generously those who came to his home. Yet 
these gentle and lovable qualities did not prevent him from 
being a brave and skilful warrior, who could carry terror 
to the hearts of his foes. 

It was while he was engaged in his trading business 
that Sevier heard of Robertson's settlement in the west, 
and became interested in it as a possible home for himself 
and his family. In 1772 he decided to ride through the 
forests to the Watauga settlement and find out what kind 
of place it was. 

Alone over the mountains and through the woods he 
made the journey. At the journey's end, when he met 
Robertson, they became friends at once, for in spirit and 
aims they were much alike. Both were brave and fear- 
less, and both were seeking better homes for their families. 

Sevier decided to join the settlement on the Watauga, 



328 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

and went back to bring his wife and two children. Return- 
ing with them, he entered heartily into the common life of 
the frontier, with its many hardships and pleasures, and 
soon became a prominent man in the little colony. 

For a time after their arrival the settlement was not 
much troubled by the Indians. The Cherokees had given 
their consent to have the land taken up, and all went well 
for a period. 

But, as we have already seen in the case of Boone, the 
breaking out of the Revolution, and the action of the Brit- 
ish in arming the Indians with guns and rewarding them 
for bringing in captives, disturbed this peace and stirred 
up the tribes against the backwoodsmen. 

The Cherokees then broke their agreement with the 
settlers and in large numbers made bold and murderous 
attacks upon the many back-country settlements in south- 
western Virginia, the eastern Carolinas, northwestern 
Georgia, and what is now eastern Tennessee. 

As Watauga was the nearest settlement to the Chero- 
kee towns and villages, it was likely to suffer most from 
the attack. Robertson commanded the fort, with Sevier 
as his lieutenant. Only forty or fifty men were in the fort 
when it was attacked, although it was crowded with women 
and children. But these few men were resolute, well armed, 
and on their guard. 

It was in the gray light of the early morning that the 
Indians stole up for the attack. But a friendly squaw had 



JOHN SEVIER 329 

given warning of danger, and the settlers were ready. The 
loopholes opened upon the Indians and they were at once 
beaten back with loss. This was the beginning of a long, 
dreary siege. As the stockade was too strong to be taken 
by an assault, the Indians tried to starve the colonists out. 
For about three weeks they lurked about so that the people 
within the fort dared not go outside for food, and had to 
live mostly on parched corn. 

It was a weary time. As you may imagine, all be- 
came very tired of that diet and very impatient at being 
kept shut up within the palisades for so long, and from 
time to time some one would venture out, heedless of warn- 
ing and of danger. In running this risk, three or four men 
were shot by the Indians, and one boy was carried off to 
an Indian village and burned at the stake. A woman also 
was captured. 

You will be interested in the thrilling experience of an- 
other woman. Her name was Kate Sherrill. She was tall 
and beautiful, graceful and gentle in manner, and, as we 
shall see, not lacking courage. 

One day, taking a pitcher to get water from the river, 
she had ventured some distance from the fort, when Indians 
dashed out of the forest and sprang toward her. Seeing her 
danger, she darted swiftly back, with her bloodthirsty foes 
close at her heels. 

It was a race for life, and she knew it. There was not 
time to reach the gate; sc she ran the shortest way to the 



330 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

fort, caught hold of the top of the pickets, and, by an al- 
most superhuman effort sprung over to the other side. She 
did not fall to the ground as she expected, but into the 
arms of John Sevier, for he was standing at a loophole close 
by, and caught her. He had witnessed her danger and 
helped her to escape by shooting the Indian closest in the 
chase. A romance is connected with this, for we are told 
that John Sevier, who was then a young widower of thirty- 
one, married Kate Sherrill during the siege. 

Although the Indian braves were eager for the scalps 
of the Watauga settlers, they failed to capture the fort and 
finally went away, just as they did from the neighboring 
settlements. For a while, but only for a while, the pioneers 
were left free from Indian ravages. 

SEVIER A HERO AMONG THE TENNESSEE SETTLERS 

In spite of the danger, however, daring men kept com- 
ing to join the pioneers at the Watauga settlements. Se- 
vier continued to be a leading man in that backwoods 
region, and when, some years later, Robertson, as you re- 
member, left Watauga to go to the Cumberland valley, 
Sevier became the most prominent man in the colony. 

He was so prosperous that he could surround himself 
with much comfort. He built a rambling, one-story house 
on the Nolichucky Creek, a branch of the French Broad 
River. It was the largest in the settlement and was noted 
for the lavish entertainments given there, for Sevier was 



JOHN SEVIER 



331 



the same generous host as of old. His house consisted of 
two groups of rooms connected by a covered porch. Sevier 
with his family lived in one of the groups, and housed his 




A Barbecue of 1780. 

guests in the other. There were large verandas and huge 
fireplaces, in which, during cold weather, cheerful wood- 
fires blazed. 

Here to all, rich and poor alike, and especially to the 
men who had followed him in the many battles against the 
Indians, Sevier gave a hearty welcome. Rarely was his 
hospitable home without guests, and the table was heaped 
with such plain and wholesome food as woods and fields 
afforded. 

It was Sevier's delight at weddings or special merry- 
makings to feast all the backwoods people of the neighbor- 
hood at a barbecue, where an ox was roasted whole over the 



332 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

fire, and where, in fair weather, board tables were set under 
the trees. These were loaded with wild fowl, bear's meat, 
venison, beef, johnny-cakes, ash-cakes, hominy, and apple- 
jack. Should you not like to have been one of the guests? 

During one of these merrymaking feasts (1780) news 
was brought that Major Ferguson, one of the ablest officers 
in Cornwallis's army, was threatening to make an attack 
on the back-country settlements. At once Sevier, along 
with Isaac Shelby and others, set out to raise an army 
of frontiersmen to march against Ferguson. Soon a thou- 
sand men were riding through the forests to find the British 
force, of which every man except the commander was an 
American Tory. 

They came upon it in a strong position on King's Moun- 
tain. Without delay the Americans made a furious attack. 
They fought with great heroism, charging up the steep 
mountainside with reckless braver}'. 

They were divided into three bodies, one on the right 
of the British, one on the left, and another in front. Sevier 
commanded the division on the left. At just the right mo- 
ment he led his men in a resistless rush up the mountain- 
side and made victory certain for the Americans. The 
British raised the white flag of surrender. All of Fergu- 
son's soldiers who had not been killed or wounded were 
made prisoners. 

By this victory the backwoods hunters greatly weakened 
the British cause in the south and made easier General 



JOHN SEVIER 



333 



Greene's victory over Cornwallis, of which we have already 
learned. Thus they took their part in winning the nation's 
liberty. 

On returning from King's Mountain to their homes, 
these pioneer warriors had to meet the Cherokees again 




Battle of King's Mountain. 

in stubborn warfare. In his usual way Sevier struck a 
swift, crushing blow by marching to the mountain homes 
of his savage foes, where he burned a thousand of their 
cabins and destroyed fifty thousand bushels of their corn. 
In spite of this defeat, however, the Indians kept on 
fighting. So Sevier determined to strike another blow. 
At the head of one hundred and fifty picked horsemen, he 



334 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

rode for one hundred and fifty miles through the mountain 
wilds and completely surprised the Indians, who did not 
think it possible for an enemy to reach them. After taking 
the main town, burning two other towns and three villages, 
capturing two hundred horses, destroying a large quantity 
of provisions, and doing other damage, he withdrew and 
returned home in safety. He had made the Indians afraid, 
and they were quiet for a time. 

These glimpses into the life of John Sevier must help 
you to understand why he became a hero among all the 
people of the frontier. They admired him for his brilliant 
leadership ; they were grateful for his protection ; and they 
loved him as a friend. They fondly called him ''Noli- 
chucky Jack"; and when, later, the settlements became 
the State of Tennessee, again and again they elected him 
governor, and sent him to Congress. 

Without doubt few men of his day were his equal as a 
fighter against the Indians. It is said that in all his war- 
fare with them he won thirty -five victories and never lost 
a battle. As we have seen, he moved with great swiftness 
in attacking his foes. Through his able scouts he learned 
the strength and weakness of his enemies and, before they 
realized what was going on, with a wild shout he and his 
bold followers swept down upon them like a hurricane, 
striking terror to the hearts of even the bravest. 

Sevier was active in public interests even to the last 
years of his long life. When eighty years old, he was at 



JOHN SEVIER 335 

the head of a body of men who were marking the border 
line between Georgia and the lands of the Indians. The 
labor proved too great for his bodily strength, and the aged 
man died (1815), in his tent, with only a few soldiers and 
Indians around him. 

He was buried where he died, and a simple slab, with 
the two words, "John Sevier," inscribed upon it, indicates 
the spot where his body rests. 

In the homes of eastern Tennessee stories of his brave 
deeds are still told to eager, listening chil dren, for his mem- 
ory is held dear in the hearts of old and young alike. Ten- 
nessee owes much to this brave, loyal, and high-minded 
man, who played a large part in shaping her destiny. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Why did Sevier go with his family to the Watauga settlement? 

2. Imagine yourself in the Watauga Fort when the Cherokees were 

trying to capture it, and give an account of what happened. 

3. Describe Sevier's hospitable home, and tell something about the 

kind of feast he prepared for a wedding there. 

4. What kind of Indian fighter was Sevier? 

5. Tell all you can about his personal appearance. What do you 

admire about him? 



CHAPTER XXXII 
GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 

Among the foremost of those who promoted the west- 
ward growth of our country stands George Rogers Clark. 
He was born near Monticello, Virginia, November 19, 1752. 
He came of a good family and he received fairly good 

training in school. But he learned 
much more from life than from 
books. 

When twenty vears old he was 
already a woodsman and surveyor 
on the Upper Ohio, and did some- 
thing also at farming. About two 
years later, with measuring rod 
and axe, he moved on to Ken- 
tucky, where he continued his 
work as a surveyor. 
A deadly struggle was going on here, you remember, 
with the Indians, who had been roused by the British 
against the backwoodsmen, and in this struggle Clark be- 
came a leader. 

Why it was that in hardly more than a year's time this 
young man of twenty-four rose to a position of leadership 
among the settlers, and was chosen one of their lawmakers, 

336 




George Rogers Clark. 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 337 

we shall understand when we come to see more of his ster- 
ling qualities. 

Nature had given him a pleasing face which men trusted. 
His forehead was high and broad under a shock of sandy 
hair, and honest blue eyes peered out from under heavy, 
shaggy eyebrows. His strong body could endure almost any 
hardship, and his splendid health was matched by his ad- 
venturous spirit. His fearless courage was equal to any 
danger, and his resolute purpose would not give way in 
the face of almost insurmountable difficulties. 

His great task would have been impossible except as 
he possessed these qualities, and we know that one does 
not come by them suddenly. They grow by bravely con- 
quering the fears of every-day life and not giving in to 
difficulties. It was in this way that the fearless hunters of 
Kentucky quickly recognized in him a master spirit. 

Clark, as you may imagine, was not content to remain 
in Kentucky merely as a skilful hunter and bold leader of 
war parties sent out to punish Indian bands. His keen 
mind had worked out a brilliant plan, which he was eager 
to carry through. It was nothing less than to conquer for 
his country the vast stretch of land lying north of the 
Ohio and east of the Mississippi, now included in the 
present Great Lake States. 

In this vast region of forest and prairie the only settle- 
ments were the scattered French hamlets, begun in the 
early days of exploration, when the French occupied the 



338 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

land and traded with the Indians for fur. These hamlets 
had passed into the hands of the English after the Last 
French War and were made the centres of English power, 
from which, as we have seen, the English commanders 
aroused the Indians against the backwoodsmen remote 
from their home settlements. 

These few villages or trading-posts, which were defended 
by forts, were scattered here and there at convenient places 
along the river courses, the three strongest forts being at 
Vincennes, on the Wabash, at Kaskaskia, and at Detroit. 

Over all the rest of the wild territory roamed hostile 
Indian tribes, hunting and fighting against one another as 
well as against the frontiersmen. 

Clark saw that if this region should be conquered the 
spreading prairies could be opened up for settlement. 

As the first step in carrying out his plan, he needed to 
secure aid from Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia. 
Early in October, 1777, he started out on horseback from 
Harrodsburg, one of the Kentucky settlements, to ride 
through the forests and over the mountains to Williams- 
burg, then the capital of the State. So urgent was his 
haste that he stopped on the way but a single day at his 
father's house, the home of his childhood, and then pressed 
on to Williamsburg. It took a whole month to make this 
journey of six hundred and twenty miles. 

Patrick Henry at once fell in with Clark's plan. He 
arranged that the government should furnish six thousand 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 339 

dollars. But as it was needful that the utmost secrecy 
should be preserved, nothing was said about the matter 
to the Virginia Assembly. Clark was to raise his own 
company among the frontiersmen. The whole burden of 
making the necessary preparations rested upon him. 

CLARK STARTS ON HIS LONG JOURNEY 

With good heart he shouldered it, and in May, 1778, 
was ready with one hundred and fifty-three men to start 
from the Redstone Settlements, on the Monongahela River. 
He stopped at both Pittsburg and Wheeling for needed 
supplies. Then his flatboats, manned by tall backwoods- 
men in their picturesque dress, rowed or floated cautiously 
down the Ohio River. 

They did not know on how great a journey they had 
entered, for even to his followers Clark could not tell his 
plan. 

Toward the last of the month, on reaching the falls of 
the Ohio, near the present site of Louisville, they landed 
on an island, where Clark built a fort and drilled his men. 
Some of the families that had come with him, and were 
on their way to Kentucky, remained there until autumn, 
planting some corn and naming the island Corn Island. 

When about to leave, Clark said to the men: "We are 
going to the Mississippi." Some were faint-hearted and 
wished to turn back. "You may go," said Clark, for he 
wanted no discontented men among his number. From 



:U() 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



those remaining he carefully picked out the ones who 
seemed robust enough to endure the extreme hardships 
which he knew awaited them. 

As the success of the enterprise depended upon sur- 
prising the enemy, it was extremely important that he 
press forward as secretly and as speedily as possible. Ac- 




<N.A 



George Rogers Clark in the Northwest. 



cordingly, the men rowed hard, night and day, until they 
came to an island off the mouth of the Tennessee River. 
Here it was their good fortune to meet with a small party of 
hunters who had been at the French settlements not long 
before. These men cheerfully joined Clark's party, agree- 
ing to act as guides to Kaskaskia. 

"If you go by the water-route of the Mississippi," said 
these hunters, "the French commander at Kaskaskia will 
get news of your coming, through boatmen and hunters 



GEORGE ROGERS (LARK 



Ul 



along the river, and will be ready to defend the fort 

against you. The fort is strong and the garrison well 

trained, and if the 

commander knows 

of your approach 

he will put up a 

good fight." 

So it was de- 
cided to go by 
land. At one time 
the guide lost his 
way, and Clark 
was angry, for he 
feared treachery. 
But after two 
hours they found 
the right course 
again 

On the evening 
of July 4 the Kas- 
kaskia was reached. 
The fort was only three miles away, but it was across the 
stream. Remaining in the woods until dusk, they rested; 
then, as night fell, they pushed on to a little farmhouse 
only a mile from the fort. Here Clark obtained boats and 
silently, in the darkness, conveyed his men across the 
stream. 




Clark on the Way to Kaskaskia. 



342 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



After two hours all was ready for the attack. Clark 
divided the men into two bodies : one to surround the town 
and prevent the escape of the fugitives, and the other, led 
by himself, to advance to the walls of the fort. 




Clark's Surprise at Kaskaskia. 



A postern gate on the side facing the river had been 
pointed out by a captive, and Clark stationed his men 
so as to guard it. Then he went inside along to the 
entrance of the large hall where public gatherings were 
held. 

It was brilliantly lighted, and floating through the win- 
dows came the music of violins. The officers 'of the fort 
were giving a dance, and young Creole men and maidens 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 343 

were spending a merry evening. Even the sentinels had 
left their posts in order to enjoy the festal occasion. 

Alone, Clark passed through the doorway and stood 
with folded arms, in grim silence, coolly watching the 
mirthful dancers. Lying upon the floor just inside the door 
was an Indian brave. As he raised his eyes to the face 
of the strange backwoodsman standing out clearly in the 
light of the torches, he sprang to his feet with a piercing 
war-whoop. The music broke off suddenly; a hush fell. 
Then the women screamed, and there was a wild rush for 
the door. 

Without stirring from the place where he stood, Clark 
quietly said: "Go on with your dance; but remember that 
you now dance under Virginia, and not under Great Britain." 
Scarcely had he uttered these words when his men, seeing 
the confusion, rushed into the forts and seized the officers, 
among whom was the French commander. 

Then Clark sent runners throughout the town to order 
the people to remain within their houses. The simple- 
hearted Frenchmen were in a panic of fear. 

The next morning some of their chief men, appearing be- 
fore Clark, begged for their lives. "We will gladly become 
slaves," they cried, "if by so doing we may save our fam- 
ilies." "We do not wish to enslave you," Clark answered, 
" and if you will solemnly promise to become loyal American 
citizens you shall be welcome to all the privileges of Ameri- 
cans." 



344 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

On hearing these words the French people were so car- 
ried away with joy that they danced and sang and scattered 
flowers along the street. By his kind way of dealing with 
them, Clark made the people of the town his friends in- 
stead of his enemies. 

A little later the people of Vincennes also solemnly 
promised to be loyal citizens, and, taking down the English 
flag, they raised the American stars and stripes over their 
fort. 

LIFE IN THE OLD FRENCH VILLAGES 

You will enjoy a glimpse of the life in these old French 
villages, for it is quite different from that of the settlements 
we have visited. There are many little hamlets, like 
Kaskaskia and Vincennes, on the western frontier. They 
have been in existence for years, but have not increased 
much in strength or size. 

The French people living there have never mingled with 
the American backwoodsmen. They have kept by them- 
selves, remaining for the most part half-homesick emigrants. 
Many of them are engaged in the fur trade; some are 
adventure-loving wood rovers and hunters, but the most 
of them are farmers on a small scale. 

Their little villages, composed of hovels or small log 
cottages, are guarded by rough earthworks. A few 
roomy buildings serve as storehouses and strongholds in 
times of danger. There are also little wine-shops, as in 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 345 

the old country, which the French love, and in which they 
are always entertained by the music of violins. 

There is much gay color on the streets of these hamlets, 
for the Frenchmen are dressed in bright-colored suits, made 
of Indian blankets. And lounging about in cheap paint or 
soiled finery are lazy Indians, begging at times and at times 
idly watching the boats rowing up and down the river. 

We see, too, now and then, the familiar red-and-buff 
uniforms of the British army officers, which are regarded 
with awe whenever they appear. For you must remem- 
ber that after 1763 all the French hamlets were in British 
hands, and the English officers were the great men of this 
country north of the Ohio. 

clark's hard task 

Although the life was gayer and easier in these French 
villages than in the frontier settlements, and although the 
taking of Kaskaskia and Vincennes had been easy, Clark 
still had a hard task before him. His small force was made 
up of men who were in the habit of doing as they pleased, 
and over them he had no control except through their 
personal liking for him. 

Furthermore, he was so many hundred miles from Vir- 
ginia that he could not hope to get any advice or help from 
the government for months, or perhaps for an entire year. 
He must rely entirely upon himself. And we shall see that 
he was equal to the situation. 



346 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



Outside the villages, roaming over the great region he 
was hoping to conquer, were thousands of Indians. They 
were hostile, bloodthirsty, and ready to slaughter without 
pity. When they heard what Clark and his backwoods- 
men had done, they crowded to Kaskaskia to see for them- 
selves. Lurking back of their gloomy faces were wicked 
thoughts. Clark was in great danger from these Indians. 

But he proved himself their master also. Though care- 
fully on his guard in any dealings he might have with them, 

he always appeared to 
them 



quite unafraid 
and confident that he 
could take care of 
himself. His boldness 
and firmness, even 



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Wampum Peace Belt. 



when surrounded by red warriors greatly outnumbering 
his own small force, had a profound effect upon them. 

Once he told them that he could appeal to the Thirteen 
Council-Fires — meaning, of course, the thirteen States — 
and that they could send him men enough to darken the 
land. The Indians began to fear him and to look upon 
him as a mighty warrior, and when he held up to them the 
red wampum belt of war and the white of peace for them 
to choose which they would have, they chose peace and 
left the settlement. 

But there was still another very serious difficulty which 
Clark had to face. It caused even greater anxiety than the 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 347 

danger from the Indians, for it was within his own com- 
pany. You remember that when his men started out they 
did not know that they were to go so far away from home. 
Now, when their time of service was up, they threatened to 
leave him and return to their homes. By means of pres- 
ents and promises Clark persuaded about a hundred to stay 
eight months longer. The others left for home. 

A weaker man might have been quite helpless if left 
with so small a force. Not so Clark. He had wonderful 
power over people, and soon the Creoles of the French vil- 
lages had become so loyal that their young men took the 
places of the woodsmen who went away. Clark thoroughly 
drilled them all until they were finely trained for any ser- 
vice he might ask. 

It was well he did so. For Colonel Hamilton, the Brit- 
ish commander at Detroit, who had charge of the British 
forces throughout the vast region which Clark was trying to 
conquer, was a man of great energy. Soon after getting 
news of what Clark hrxl done at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, 
he began preparing for an expedition against the latter place. 

Early in October (1779) he set out from Detroit with 
one hundred and seventy-seven soldiers and sixty Indians. 
By the time he had reached Vincennes so many other In- 
dians had joined him that his entire force numbered about 
five hundred. The fort at Vincennes, as you remember, 
contained only a handful of men, and it easily fell into 
Hamilton's hands (December 17, 1779). 



348 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

If Hamilton had at once marched on to Kaskaskia, he 
might have captured Clark or driven him out of the north- 
west. But that same tendency to "put off/' which had 
already cost the British many a victory, here again saved 
the day for the Americans. Because the weather was so 
cold, the route so long, and the other difficulties in his way 
so great, Hamilton resolved to wait until spring before 
going farther. 

And not expecting to need his soldiers before spring, 
he sent back to Detroit the greater part of his force. He 
kept with him about eighty of the white soldiers and about 
the same number of Indian allies. 

About six weeks later Clark learned from an Indian 
trader how small the garrison was at Vincennes. You may 
be sure that he did not wait for seasons to change. Quick 
to realize that this was his chance, he gathered a force of 
one hundred and seventy men — nearly half of them Cre- 
oles — and in seven days he was on his way to Vincennes. 

CLARK CAPTURES VINCENNES 

The route, two hundred and forty miles in length, led 
eastward across what is now Illinois. As often happens at 
this season, the weather had grown so mild that the ice and 
snow had thawed, causing the rivers to overflow, and the 
meadows and lowlands which lay along a large part of the 
route were under water from three to five feet deep. 

When we remember that there were no houses for shel- 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 349 

ter, no roads, and no bridges across the swollen streams, we 
can imagine something of the hardships of this midwinter 
journey. Only very strong men could endure such ex- 
posure. 

Knowing that cheerfulness would help greatly in keep- 
ing his men well and willing, Clark encouraged feasting and 
merrymaking as all were gathered at night around the 
blazing logs. There the game killed during the day was 
cooked and eaten, and while some sang and danced, accord- 
ing to Creole custom, others sat before the huge fires and 
told exciting stories about hunting and Indian warfare. 
Then, warmed and fed, all lay down by the fire for the 
night's rest. 

As long as this lasted the journey was by no means 
hard ; but by the end- of a week conditions had changed, 
for they had reached the drowned lands of the Wabash. 

Coming first to the two branches of the Little Wabash, 
they found the floods so high that the land between the two 
streams was entirely under water, and they were facing a 
mighty river five miles wide and at no point less than 
three feet deep, while, of course, in the river beds it was 
much deeper. 

But Clark was resourceful. He at once had his men 
build a pirogue, or dugout canoe. In this he rowed across 
the first branch of the river, and on the edge of the water- 
covered plain put up a scaffold. Then the men and the 
baggage were ferried across in the pirogue, and the baggage 



350 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



was placed on the scaffold. Last of all, the pack-horses 
swam the channel, and standing by the scaffold in water 
above their knees, received again their load of baggage. 




Clark's Advance on Vincennes. 

All then proceeded to the second channel, which was 
crossed in the same way. It took three days to build the 
pirogue and cross the two branches of the river. 

During this time hunger was added to the other suf- 
ferings of the men, for the flood had driven all the wild 
animals away, so that there was no longer any game to 
shoot. Advance was slow and extremely tiresome, for the 
men had to march from morning till night up to their 
waists in mud and water. They were nearing the Great 
Wabash River. 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 351 

On February 20 the men were quite exhausted. 
There had been nothing to eat for nearly two days. Many 
of the Creoles were so downcast that they began to talk of 
going home. Clark, putting on a brave face, laughed and 
said: "Go out and kill a deer." 

But meanwhile his men 7 acting under orders, had built 
three canoes, and on the morning of the 22d the entire 
force was ferried across the Wabash. 

Once on the side of the river where Vincennes stood, 
they began to feel more cheerful, for by night they ex- 
pected to be at the fort. 

It was well that they did not know what awaited them, 
for they had yet a bitter experience to pass through. Al- 
most all the way was under water, and as they went slowly 
on they often stepped into hollows where the water came 
up to their chins. But, guided by their bold leader, they 
pressed forward until they reached a hillock, where they 
spent the night. 

During the long hours of this trying day Clark had 
kept up the spirits of his men in every way he could. In 
telling about it later, he said: "I received much help from 
a little antic drummer, a boy with such a fun-loving spirit 
that he made the men laugh, in spite of their weariness, at 
his pranks and jokes." 

On starting out again the next morning some were so 
weak and famished that they had to be taken in the canoes. 
Those who were strong enough to wade came to water too 



352 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

deep to walk through, and, painfully struggling, began to 
huddle together as if all hope had fled. 

Then Clark had to do something to rouse them. Sud- 
denly he blackened his face with gunpowder and, sounding 
the war-whoop like an Indian brave, fearlessly sprang for- 
ward. His men plunged in after him without a word. 

By dusk they were still six miles from Vincennes. Their 
clothing was drenched, their muscles ached with weariness, 
and they were well-nigh exhausted from lack of food. To 
make matters worse, the weather that day was bitterly 
cold. Yet the worst experience of the whole trying march 
was to come. 

For before them stretched a shallow lake, four miles in 
extent. With something like a score of the strongest men 
just behind him, Clark plunged into the ice-cold water, 
breast-deep. When they had gone about half-way across 
some of them were so cold and weak that they could not 
take another step. So the canoes were kept busy rescuing 
them and getting them to land. 

Those who, though weak, were still able to keep their 
feet, clung to the strong and plodded forward. When they 
had finally reached the woods bordering the farther side 
of the lake, they had not strength enough to pull themselves 
out, but clung desperately to the bushes and logs on the 
shore until the canoes could pick them up. 

On reaching land some were so exhausted that they fell 
upon the ground with their faces half buried in the water. 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 353 

But the stronger ones built fires and fed them broth made 
from some venison they had taken from squaws in an In- 
dian canoe which happened along. With food and warmth 
courage returned. 

In the afternoon they set out again. After crossing a 
narrow lake in the canoes and marching a short distance, 
they reached a tree-covered spot from which they could see 
the town and the fort. There they made a stop and, hidden 
by the trees, made ready for the attack. 

There was some fighting that night, and it was con- 
tinued the next day. Then Clark demanded the surrender 
of the fort. Hamilton at first refused, but, as he had only 
a small number of men, he had to give up both fort and gar- 
rison. He himself was sent a prisoner to Virginia. 

Clark's capture of Vincennes was the finishing stroke of 
his conquest. He had succeeded in one of the boldest en- 
terprises ever undertaken in America. All the vast region 
he had set out to conquer remained under American control 
until the end of the Revolution, when, by treaty, it formally 
became a part of our country. 

In carrying out his plans Clark had not only risked his 
health and life, but he had used up all his property. In 
spite of the great service he had done his country, his last 
years were spent in poverty. For a while he lived alone 
in a rude dwelling on Corn Island, but later his sister took 
him to her home near Louisville. Here, in 1818, came 
to an end the life of this heroic soldier and loval American. 



354 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



Some Things to Think About 

1. What was Clark's brilliant plan? 

2. Imagine yourself with him on the evening when he captured the 

fort at Kaskaskia, and tell as fully as you can what happened. 
Tell something of his hard task in the days that followed. 

3. Can you explain how it was that he had such a powerful influence 

over men ? 

4. In imagination go with Clark on his wonderful march from Kas- 

kaskia to Vincennes and give an account of your trials and 
sufferings. 

5. How do you account for Clark's remarkable success? What do 

you admire about him? 

6. Are you making frequent use of the map ? 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 



At the end of the Revolution Washington, as we have 
already noted, returned to his beautiful home, Mount 
Vernon, overlooking the Potomac. Here he again took 
up the many-sided duties which 
his large plantation made neces- 
sary for him. His busy day be- 
gan when he arose at four o'clock 
in the morning and ended when he 
went to bed at nine o'clock in the 
evening. But his life was not so 
quiet as we might think. For he 
had so many visitors that at the 
end of two years he wrote in his 
diary one day: "Dined with only 
Mrs. Washington, which I believe is the first instance of 
it since my retirement from public life." 

When the States, after securing their independence^ 
united under the Constitution to form the nation called the 
United States of America, they needed a President. It 
was but natural that again all eyes should turn to George 
Washington, and he was elected without opposition. 

355 




George Washington. 



356 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



In his modesty he felt himself unfit to lead the Ameri- 
can people in times of peace. In fact, this new service was 
for him perhaps the hardest that he had ever tried to ren- 
der his country. Yet, as he believed with all his heart in 




Washington's Home, Mount Vernon. 

the new government, he decided to accept the office. He 
was willing to give up his own comfort for the sake of trying 
to bring new life and prosperity to his countrymen. 

On April 16, 1789, two days after being informed of his 
election, he said good-by to Mount Vernon and started out 
as a plain citizen in a private carriage on a seven days' 
journey to New York, which was then the capital city of 
the United States. 

He wished to travel as quietly as possible, but the 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 



357 



people were so eager to show their love for him and their 
trust in him that they thronged to meet and welcome him 
at every stage of the journey. When he passed through 




Tribute Rendered to Washington at Trenton. 

Philadelphia, under an escort of city troops, he rode a 
prancing white steed, and a civic crown of laurel rested 
upon his head. 

But the most touching tribute of all he received at 
Trenton. On the bridge spanning the little creek which 
he had crossed more than once when thirteen years before 
he was battling for his country's freedom was a floral 
arch. Under this a party of matrons and young girls 



358 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

carrying baskets of flowers took their stand. As Wash- 
ington passed beneath the arch the girls sang a song of 
welcome and strewed flowers in the road before him. On 
the arch was the motto: "The Hero Who Defended the 
Mothers Will Protect the Daughters." 

When he arrived on the New Jersey side of the North 
River he was met by a committee of both houses of Con- 
gress. They escorted him to a handsomely equipped 
barge, manned by thirteen pilots, all dressed in white uni- 
forms. Landing on the New York side, he rode through 
the streets amid throngs of shouting people, with salutes 
thundering from war-ships and from cannon on the Bat- 
tery, and bells joyfully ringing from church-steeples, to give 
him a welcome. 

The inauguration took place on April 30. A little 
after noon Washington left his house, and under a large 
military escort made his way to Federal Hall, which was 
the Senate Chamber. 

From there he was escorted out to the balcony over- 
looking a large space in the streets below, which were 
thronged with people. He took his seat by the side of a 
crimson-covered table, on which lay a Bible. 

As Washington stood up face to face with the chan- 
cellor of New York State, who was to give the oath, a deep 
hush fell on the multitude below. "Do you solemnly 
swear," asked Chancellor Livingston, "that you will faith- 
fully execute the office of President of the United States, 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 



359 



and will, to the best of your ability, preserve, protect, and 
defend the Constitution of the United States?" 

"I do solemnly swear," said Washington, "that I will 
faithfully execute the office of President of the United 




Washington Taking the Oath of Office as First President, at Federal Hall, 

New York City. 

States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, 
and defend the Constitution of the United States." 

Then with deep earnestness he bent and kissed the 
Bible held before him, with the whispered prayer: "So 
help me God!" 

"Long live George Washington, President of the United 
States !" exclaimed Livingston, and the excited throng took 
up the cry, shouting with wild enthusiasm. Thus was in- 
augurated our first President. 

Returning to the Senate Chamber, Washington there 



360 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



delivered a short address. He was very much agitated, for 
he had a deep sense of the responsibility which had been 
put upon him. After he had given his address he attended 
service in St. Paul's Church, and then went to his new home 
in New York City. 

His life as President was one of dignity and elegance. 
It was his custom to pay no calls and accept no invitations, 

but between three and four o'clock on 
every Tuesday afternoon he held a 
public reception. On such occasions 
he appeared in court dress, with 
powdered hair, yellow gloves in his 
hands, a long sword in a scabbard of 
white polished leather at his side, and 
a cocked hat under his arm. Stand- 
ing before the fireplace, with his right 
hand behind him, he bowed formally 
as each guest was presented to him. 

The visitors formed a circle about the room. At a 
quarter past three the door was closed, and Washington 
went around the circle, speaking to each person. Then he 
returned to his first position by the fireplace, where each 
visitor approached him, bowed, and retired. 

One of his first public duties was the choosing of strong 
men to form his cabinet and help him in his new tasks as 
President. Thomas Jefferson was made Secretary of State; 
Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury; Henry 




Washington's Inaugural 
Chair. 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 361 

Knox, Secretary of War; and Edmund Randolph, Attorney- 
General. John Jay was appointed Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court. 

The new government had to settle more than one im- 
portant question. One of these related to the method of 
paying the State debts which had been the outcome of the 
Revolutionary War. The northern States were in favor 
of having the National Government take care of these debts. 
Washington himself wished in this way to unite the inter- 
ests of all the States as well as have them feel that they had 
a share in the new government. The southern States, how- 
ever, were bitterly opposed to this plan, but they, in their 
turn, were eager to have the national capital located on the 
Potomac River. 

Alexander Hamilton, by a clever arrangement, per- 
suaded the opposing interests to adopt a compromise, or 
an agreement by which each side got a part of what it 
wished. The northern States were to vote for a southern 
capital if the southern States would vote that the National 
Government should look after the State debts. 

This plan was carried out; and so it was decided that 
the capital of the United States should be located in the 
District of Columbia, on the Potomac River, and should be 
called Washington, after George Washington. 

In 1789, the seat of government was in New York; from 
1790 to 1800, it was in Philadelphia; and in 1800 it was 
transferred to Washington, where it has ever since remained. 



362 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



THE COTTON-GIN AND SLAVERY 

One of the most noteworthy events which occurred 
during Washington's administration was the invention of 
the cotton-gin by Eli Whitney. Whitney was born in 
Massachusetts. While yet a boy he was employed in mak- 
ing nails by hand, for there was 
no machine for making them in 
those days. Later, when he en- 
tered Yale College, his skilful use 
of tools helped him to pay his 
college expenses. 

After being graduated from 
Yale he went south, where he 
became a tutor in the family of 
General Greene's widow, then liv- 
ing on the Savannah River, in the home which, you re- 
member, Georgia gave her husband. While he was in Mrs. 
Greene's home he invented for her an embroidery-frame 
which she greatly valued. 

One day, while she was entertaining some planters, they 
began to talk about the raising of cotton. One of her guests 
said that it did not pay well because so much time was 
needed to separate the seeds from the fibre. He added 
that if a way could be found to do this more quickly the 
profits would be far greater. 

"Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, "tell this to my young 




Eli Whitney. 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 



363 



friend, Mr. Whitney. Verily, I believe he can make any- 
thing." As a result of this conversation, in two or three 
months Eli Whitney had invented the cotton-gin (1793), 
although in so doing he had to make all his own tools. 

The cotton-gin brought about great changes. Before 
its invention it took a slave a whole day to separate the 
seed from five or six 
pounds of cotton 
fibre. But by the use 
of the cotton-gin he 
could separate the 
seed from a thou- 
sand pounds in a 
single day. 

This, of course, 
meant that cotton wwtneys cotton-Gm. 

could be sold for very much less than before, and hence 
there arose a much greater demand for it. It meant, also, 
that the labor of slaves was of more value than before, 
and hence there was a greater demand for slaves. 

As slavery now became such an important feature of 
southern life, let us pause for a glimpse of a southern plan- 
tation where slaves are at work. If we are to see such life 
in its pleasantest aspects, we may well go back to Virginia 
in the old days before the Civil War. There the slaves led 
a freer and easier life than they did farther south among the 
rice-fields of South Carolina or the cotton-fields of Georgia. 




364 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

If we could visit one of these old Virginia plantations 
as it used to be, where wheat and tobacco were grown, we 
should see first a family mansion, often situated on a hill- 
top amid a grove of oaks. The mansion is a two-story 
house, perhaps made of wood, and painted white. With 
its vine-clad porch in front, and its wide hallway inside, it 
has a very comfortable look. 

Not far away is a group of small log cabins. This clus- 
ter of simple dwellings, known as "the quarters," is the 
home of the slaves, who do the work in the house and fields. 

On the large plantations of the far south, there were 
sometimes several slave settlements on one plantation, 
each being a little village, with the cabins set in rows on 
each side of a wide street. Each cabin housed two fam- 
ilies; belonging to each was a small garden. 

The log cabins contained large fireplaces, and it was not 
unusual for the master's children to gather about them 
when the weather was cold enough for fires, to hear the 
negroes tell quaint tales and sing weird songs. The old 
colored "mammies" were very fond of "Massa's chillun" 
and liked to pet them and tell them stories. 

Sometimes the cooking for the master's family was done 
in the kitchen of the "big house," but more often in a cabin 
outside, from which a negro waitress carried the food to the 
dining-room. The slaves had regular allowances of food, 
most of which they preferred to cook in their own cabins. 
Their common food was corn bread and ham or bacon. 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 



365 



Some of the slaves were employed as servants in the 
master's house, but the greater part of them worked in the 
fields. They went out to work very early in the morning. It 
often happened that their breakfast and dinner were carried 









mm) 




% 



% 




A Colonial Planter. 



to them in the fields, and during the short rest which they 
had while eating their meals they would often sing together. 
The slaves had their holidays, one of them being at the 
time of hog-killing, which was an annual festival. In some 
parts of the south, in November or December, corn-husking 
bees were held, just as the white people held them on the 
frontier. When the corn was harvested, it was piled up 
in mounds fifty or sixty feet high. Then the slaves from 



366 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



neighboring plantations were invited to come and help 
husk the corn. One negro would leap up on the mound 
and lead the chorus, all joining lustily in the singing. 

Other holidays were given the slaves on the Fourth of 
July and at Christmas time. One negro tells us about 




31 v^&&m ip«r 




A Slave Settlement. 

the barbecue which his master gave to him and the other 
slaves. "Yes, honey, dat he did gib us Fourth of July — a 
plenty o' holiday — a beef kilt, a mutton, hogs, salt, pepper, 
an' eberyting. He hab a gre't trench dug, and a whole 
load of wood put in it an' burned down to coals. Den 
dey put wooden spits across, an' dey had spoons an' basted 
de meat. An' we 'vite all de culled people aroun', an' dey 
come, an' we had fine times." 

The life of the slaves was sometimes hard and bitter, 



THE NEW REPUBLIC 367 

especially when they were in charge of a cruel overseer on 
a large plantation. But it was not always so. For it is 
pleasant to think that when they had good masters, there 
were many things to cheer and brighten their lives. We 
know that household slaves often lived in the most friendly 
relations with their owners. 

We must pass over many of the events which took place 
while Washington was President, but you will very likely 
take them up in your later study. After serving with 
marked success for two terms, he again returned (1797) to 
private life at Mount Vernon. Here, on December 14, 1799, 
he died at the age of sixty-seven, loved and honored by the 
American people. 

Let us always remember with grateful hearts the noble 
life of the great man who has rightly been called the " Father 
of his Country." 

Some Things to Think About 

1. How did the people express their feeling for Washington when he 

was on his way to New York to be inaugurated as President ? 

2. Describe one of his public receptions. 

3. Who were the men Washington chose to help him in his new task 

as President? 

4. What effects did the invention of the cotton-gin have upon slavery ? 

5. In imagination visit some old plantations and tell what you can 

about slave life there. 

6. Why has Washington been called the "Father of his Country"? 



CHAPTER XXXIV 
INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE NEW REPUBLIC 



As with reverent thought we turn from the closing days 
of George Washington's life, our interest is drawn to the 
career of another national hero, with whom we associate 
the most remarkable expansion in the area of our country. 

Already through the achieve- 
ments of early pioneers and set- 
tlers, such as Daniel Boone in 
Kentucky, John Sevier and James 
Robertson in Tennessee, and 
George Rogers Clark in the region 
of the Great Lakes, the country ly- 
ing between the Alleghany Moun- 
tains and the Mississippi River had 
come to be a part of the United 
States. 

But now in a very different and much easier way the 
territory lying beyond the Mississippi and stretching west- 
ward to the Rocky Mountains was added to the national 
domain. This we obtained, not by exploration or settle- 
ment, but by purchase; and the man who had most to do 
with our getting it was Thomas Jefferson. 

368 




Thomas Jefferson. 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



3G9 



The story of the purchase is most interesting, but hardly 
more so than the stoiy of Thomas Jefferson himself. 

He was born in 1743 near Charlottesville, Virginia, on 
a plantation of nearly two thousand acres. As a boy he 




" Monticello," the Home of Jefferson. 

lived an out-of-door life, hunting, fishing, swimming, or 
paddling his boat in the river near his home, and some- 
times riding his father's horses. He was a skilful and 
daring rider, and remained to the end of his long life fond 
of a fine horse. 

He was a most promising lad. At five he entered 
school, and even at that early age began his lifelong habit 
of careful reading and studying. While still but a boy 



370 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

he was known among his playmates for his industry and 
the thorough way in which he did his work. 

At seventeen he entered William and Mary College at 
Williamsburg, Virginia. Here he worked hard, sometimes 
studying fifteen hours a day. But for his sound body and 
strong health he must have broken down under such a se- 
vere strain. 

Yet this hard-working student was no mere bookworm. 
He was cheerful and full of life, and was very much liked by 
his fellow students. Among other friends made during his 
college days was the fun-loving Patrick Henry, who with 
his jokes and stories kept every one about him in good 
humor. In time their friendship became so intimate that 
when Patrick Henry came to Williamsburg as a member 
of the House of Burgesses, he shared Jefferson's rooms. 
Both were fond of music, and spent many a pleasant hour 
playing their violins together. 

We have a description of Jefferson as he appeared at 
this time. He was over six feet tall, slender in body, but 
with large hands and feet. His freckled face was topped by 
a mass of sandy hair, from beneath which looked out keen, 
friendly gray eyes. He stood erect, straight as an arrow, 
a fine picture of health and strong young manhood. 

Thus we may imagine him as he stood one day while a 
law student at Williamsburg, in the doorway of the court- 
house, earnestly listening to his friend Patrick Henry as 
he delivered his famous speech against the Stamp Act. 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 371 

The fiery words of the eloquent speaker made a deep im- 
pression upon young Jefferson's quick, warm nature. 

Both young men were earnest patriots, but they served 
their country in different ways. To Patrick Henry it was 
given to speak with the silver tongue of the orator; while 
Jefferson, who was a poor speaker, wrote with such grace 
and strength that he has rightly been called "The Pen of 
the Revolution." 

Before taking up his public life, it will be of interest 
to us to see how he helped his countrymen in other ways. 
Two valuable and lasting improvements have come down 
from him. The first of these was the system of decimal cur- 
rency, which replaced the clumsy system of pounds, shil- 
lings, and pence used in colonial days. When you are 
called upon to work out examples in English currency, be 
grateful to Thomas Jefferson that we have instead the 
much simpler system of dollars and cents. 

The second improvement — which was for the benefit of 
agriculture, in which Jefferson always felt a deep interest — 
had, perhaps, even greater importance, for it was not merely 
a convenience but a means of increasing wealth. It was a 
new form of plough, which, sinking deeper into the soil, 
vastly increased its productive power, and has been of 
untold value to the people not only of our country but of 
the whole world. 

Jefferson showed his interest in the work of the farm in 
another way. While he was in France as American min- 



372 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



ister to the King he found that, although the French ate a 
great deal of rice, especially during Lent, very little of it 
came from the United States, because rice raised here was 




A Rice-Field in Louisiana. 

thought to be of an inferior quality. The best rice came 
from Italy. 

Wishing to help American rice-growers, Jefferson, there- 
fore, went to Italy to study the Italian method of growing 
it. He found that in both countries the hulling and clean- 
ing machine was the same. "Then," thought he, "the 
seed of the Italian rice must be better." 

So, doing up some small packages of the best seed rice 
he could find, he sent them to Charleston. The seeds were 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 373 

carefully distributed among the planters, who made good 
use of them, and from those seeds as a beginning some of 
the finest rice in the world is now produced in our own 

States. 

Jefferson's greatest work as a statesman 

But valuable as these services were to his countrymen, 
Jefferson's great work in the world was that of a states- 
man. He first came into prominence in the Second Conti- 
nental Congress, when, }^ou recall, the brave men represent- 
ing the several colonies decided that the time had come for 
the American people to declare themselves free and inde- 
pendent of England. Here Jefferson's ability as a writer 
did good service; for of the committee of five appointed 
to draw up the Declaration of Independence Jefferson was 
a member, and it fell to him to write the first draft of 
that great state paper. 

Congress spent a few days in going over this draft and 
making some slight changes in it. In the main, however, 
it stands as Jefferson wrote it. 

After filling many of the high offices in the country, in 
1S01 Jefferson became the third President of the United 
States. In this lofty position history gives us another 
striking picture of the man. It shows that he was simple 
in his tastes, and that he liked best those plain ways of 
living which are most familiar to the common people. 

On the day of his inauguration he went on foot to the 



374 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Capitol, dressed in his every-day clothes and attended 
only by a few friends. It became his custom later, when 
going up to the Capitol on official business, to go on horse- 
back, tying his horse with his own hands to a near-by fence 
before entering the building. He declined to hold weekly 
receptions, as had been the custom when Washington and 
Adams were Presidents, but instead he opened his house to 
all on the Fourth of July, and on New Year's Day. In 
these ways he was acting out his belief that the President 
should be simple in dress and manner. 

Many things which Jefferson did proved that he was 
an able statesman, but the one act which stands out above 
all others as the greatest and wisest of his administration, 
was the "Louisiana Purchase." 

Let us see how this purchase came to be made. Before 
Jefferson became President many pioneers, we know, had 
already settled west of the Alleghany Mountains. Most 
of them lived along the Ohio and the streams flowing into 
it from the north and the south. In the upland valleys of 
the Kentucky and Tennessee Rivers settlers were especially 
numerous. 

These lands were so fertile that the people living there 
became very prosperous. As their harvests were abundant, 
they needed a market in which to sell what they could not 
use. 

We have seen how in the autumn it was their custom to 
load the furs on pack-horses, and driving the cattls before 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



375 




A Flatboat on the Ohio River. 



them along the forest trail, to make the long journey over 
the mountains to cities and towns along the Atlantic coast. 

But to send their bulky products by this route was too 
expensive. Water transportation cost much less. Such 
produce as corn-meal, flour ; pork ; and lumber had to go on 
rafts or flatboats 
down the Ohio 
and Mississippi 
Rivers to New 
Orleans. Here 
the cargo and the 
boat were sold, or 
the cargo sold 
and loaded on ocean vessels, which in time reached the 
eastern market by a cheaper though longer route than 
that by land. Thus the Mississippi River, being the only 
outlet for this heavy produce, was very necessary to the 
prosperity of the west. 

But Spain at this time owned New Orleans and all 
the land about the mouth of the Mississippi River; and 
as the river became more and more used for traffic Span- 
ish officers at New Orleans began to make trouble. They 
even went/ so far as to threaten to prevent the sending of 
produce to that port. 

This threat greatly troubled and angered the western 
farmers. They proposed wild plans to force an outlet for 
their trade. But before anything was done, news came 



376 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

that Napoleon, who was then at the head of affairs in France, 
had compelled Spain to give up Louisiana to France. 

Then the westerners grew still more alarmed about their 
trade. It was bad enough to have a weak country like 
Spain in control of Louisiana. But it might be far worse 
Jo have France, the greatest military power in the world at 
that time, own it. All this was very plain to Jefferson, 
and he knew that Napoleon was planning to establish gar- 
risons and colonies in Louisiana. 

In view of the possible dangers, he sent James Monroe 
to France to aid our minister there in securing New Orleans 
and a definite stretch of territory in Louisiana lying on the 
east side of the Mississippi River. If he could get that 
territory, the Americans would then own the entire east 
bank of the river and could control their own trade. 

When Monroe reached France, he found that Napoleon 
not only was willing to sell what Jefferson wanted, but 
wished him to buy much more. For as Napoleon was about 
to engage in war with England, he had great need of 
money. Besides, he was afraid that the English might 
even invade and capture Louisiana, and in that case he 
would get nothing for it. He was satisfied, therefore, to 
sell the whole of the Louisiana territory for fifteen million 
dollars. 

This purchase was a big event in American history, 
for you must remember that what was then called Louisi- 
ana was a very large stretch of country. It included all 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



377 



the region between the Mississippi River and the Rocky 
Mountains, from Canada down to what is now Texas. 
Look at your map and you will see that it was larger than 
all the rest of the territory which up to that time had been 
called the United States. 








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inTmnnnnmtfffffpn 



w» ^ _.. u - 



lljSnTifiTTftliff ■"i3l»tO'H'*-«Wi3BUWLU I 



NEW ORLEANS IN 1803 

The people of that day did not realize the importance 
of their purchase. For the most part the territory was a 
wild region, un- 
inhabited except 
for scattered In- 
dian tribes, and 
almost unex- 
plored The place 
most alive was 
New Orleans, 
which would have 
interested you 
keenly had you been a pioneer boy or girl. New Orleans 
has been called a Franco-Spanish- American city, for it has 
belonged to all three nations in turn and been under 
French control twice. You remember that the French 
settled it. Let us imagine ourselves pioneers of 1803, and 
that we have just brought a cargo down the river. 

We find New Orleans to be one of the chief seaports 
of America. We see shipping of all sorts about the town 



House in New Orleans Where Louis Philippe Stopped 
in 1798. 



378 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



— barges and flatboats along the river bank, merchant ves- 
sels in the harbor, and farther down some war-ships. 

There are buildings still standing which are unchanged 
parts of the earlier French town — for instance, the gov- 
ernment house, the barracks, the hospital, and the convent 
of the Ursulines. We notice that the walls and fortifica- 
tions, built 
partly bv the 
French and 
partly by the 
Spaniards, are 
but a mere ring 
of grass-grown 
ruins about the 
city. 

But the city 
is very pictur- 
esque with its 

tropical vegetation, always green, and its quaint houses, 
many of them raised several feet above the ground on 
pillars. The more pretentious mansions are surrounded by 
broad verandas and fine gardens, and scattered here and 
there among the houses of the better class are those of the 
poor people. 

The streets are straight and fairly wide, but dirty and 
ill-kept. The sidewalks are of wood, and at night we 
need to take our steps carefully, for only a few dim lights 




A Public Building in New Orleans Built in 1794. 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 379 

break the darkness. Beyond the walls of the city we see 
suburbs already springing up. 

Three-fourths of the inhabitants are Creoles — that is, 
natives of French and Spanish descent, who speak in the 
French tongue. We do not understand them any more than 
if we were in a really foreign city. They seem a handsome, 
well-knit race. But they are idle and lacking in ambition, 
and for that reason are being crowded out of business by 
the active, thrifty American merchants, to whom, we ob- 
serve, they are not quite friendly. 

Such was the New Orleans of 1803, a human oasis in 
a waste of forest, which made up the greater part of the 
new territory. There were, to be sure, in this trackless 
wilderness a few French villages near the mouth of the 
Missouri River. Traders from the British camps in the 
north had found their way as far south as these villages, 
but the great prairies had not been explored, and the 
Rocky Mountains were yet unknown. 

lewis and clark's expedition 

Before the purchase was made Jefferson had planned an 
expedition to explore this region, and Congress had voted 
money to carry out his plan. Two officers of the United 
States army, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain Wil- 
liam Clark, brother of George Rogers Clark, were put in 
command of the expedition. 

They were to ascend the Missouri River to its head and 



380 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 




Meriwether Lewis. 



then find the nearest waterway to the Pacific coast. They 

were directed also to draw maps of the region and to re- 
port on the nature of the country 
and the people, plants, animals, 
and other matters of interest in 
the new lands. 

In May, 1804, the little com- 
pany of forty-five men left St. 
Louis and started up the Mis- 
souri River, passing the scattered 
settlements of French Creoles. 
After eleven days they reached 
the home of Daniel Boone, the 

last settlement they passed on the Missouri. Leaving that, 

they found no more white settlers 

and very few Indians. But the 

woods were alive with game, so there 

was no lack of food. 

Late in October they arrived at a 

village of Mandan Indians situated 

at the great bend of the Missouri 

River, in what is now known as 

North Dakota. Deciding to winter 

here, they built huts and a stockade, 

calling the camp Fort Mandan. 

The Mandans were used to white men, as the village had 

been visited often by traders from both north and south. 




William Clark. 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



381 



Although the Indians gave them no trouble, the ex- 
plorers suffered greatly from cold and hunger, game being 
•scarce and poor in the winter season. 

When spring came the party, now numbering thirty- 
two, again took up the westward journey. All before them 
was new country. They met few Indians and found 
themselves in one 
of the finest hunt- 
ing-grounds in 
the world. Sage- 
fowl and prairie- 
fowl, ducks of all 
sorts, swans, and 
wild cranes were 
plentiful, while 
huge, flapping 
geese nested in 
the tops of the 
cottonwood-trees. 

Big game, such as buffalo, elk, antelope, whitetail and 
blacktail deer, and big-horned sheep, was also abundant. 
It happened more than once that the party was detained 
for an hour or more while a great herd of buffalo ploughed 
their way down the bank of a river in a huge column. 

Many of the animals in this region were very tame, for 
they had not learned to fear men. Yet among them the 
explorers found some dangerous enemies. One was the 




Buffalo Hunted by Indians. 



382 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

grizzly bear, and another the rattlesnake. But the great- 
est scourges of all were the tiny, buzzing mosquitoes, which 
beset them in great swarms. 

The second autumn was almost upon them when they 
arrived at the headwaters of the Missouri, and their hard- 
est task was yet to be accomplished. Before them rose 
the mountains. These, they knew, must be crossed before 
they could hope to find any waterway to the coast. The 
boats in which they had come thus far, now being useless, 
were left behind, and horses were procured from a band 
of wandering Indians. 

Then they set out again on their journey, which pres- 
ently became most difficult. For nearly a month they 
painfully made their way through dense forests, over steep 
mountains, and across raging torrents, whose icy water 
chilled both man and beast. Sometimes storms of sleet 
and snow beat pitilessly down upon them, and again they 
were almost overcome by oppressive heat. 

Game was so scarce that the men often went hungry 
and were even driven to kill some of their horses for food. 

But brighter days were bound to come, and at last they 
reached a river which flowed toward the west. They called 
it Lewis, and it proved to be a branch of the Columbia, 
which led to the sea. With fresh courage they built five ca- 
noes, in which the ragged, travel-worn but now triumphant 
men made their way down-stream. The Indians whom 
they met were for the most part friendly, welcoming them 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



383 



and providing them with food, though a few tribes were 
troublesome. 

Before the cold of the second winter had set in they 
had reached the forests on the Pacific coast, and here they 
stayed until spring, 



enduring much 
hunger and cold, 
but learning many 
things about the 
habits of the In- 
dians. 

The next March, 
as soon as travel 
was safe, they gladly 
turned their faces 
homeward, and after 
a fatiguing jour- 
ney of about three 
months, reached the 
Great Plains. 

Then the party 
separated for a time 
into two companies, 
Clark following the 
course of the Yel- 
lowstone River, and Lewis the Missouri, planning to meet 
where the two rivers united. 




The Lewis and Clark Expedition Working Its 
Way Westward. 



384 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

This they succeeded in doing, though both parties were 
troubled somewhat by Indians. The Crow Indians stole 
horses from Clark's party, and eight Blackfoot warriors 
attacked Lewis and three of his men. But Lewis got the 
better of them and captured four of their horses. 

The explorers suffered no further injury, and in Septem- 
ber, 1806, about two years and four months after starting 
out, they were back in St. Louis, with their precious 
maps and notes. They had successfully carried out a mag- 
nificent undertaking, and you may be sure they received 
a joyful welcome from their friends. I wonder if any of 
you can tell which of our world's fairs commemorated the 
leaders of this expedition. 

Through the efforts of these explorers the highway across 
the continent became an established fact. When you think 
of the great trunk lines of railroad, over which fast trains 
cany hundreds of passengers daily, stop a moment and 
remember that it was little more than a hundred years ago 
that we first began to know much about this region ! 

ANDREW JACKSON 

The next addition made to our expanding nation was 
in the extreme southeast, and with it we associate the name 
of another of our Presidents, Andrew Jackson. The story 
of how Florida came to be a part of the United States will 
be more interesting if we know something of the career of 
the picturesque hero who brought about its purchase. 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



385 



Andrew Jackson was born in Union County, North 
Carolina, in 1767, of poor Scotch-Irish parents, who about 
two years before had come from Ireland. In a little clear- 
ing in the woods they had built a rude log hut and settled 
down to hard work. 

But Andrew's father soon died, and his mother went 
with her children to live in her brother's home, where she 
spun flax to earn money. She was 
very fond of little Andrew and hoped 
some day to make a minister of him. 

With this in view, she sent him 
to school, where he learned reading, 
writing, and a little ciphering. But 
the little fellow loved nature better 
than books and did not make great 
progress with lessons. You must re- 
member, however, that he was far from idle and that he 
did many hard and brave tasks, worth being put into 
books for other boys to read. 

" Mischievous Andy," as he was called, was a barefooted, 
freckle-faced lad, slender in body, with bright blue eyes 
and reddish hair, and was full of life and fun. Although 
not robust, he was wiry and energetic, and excelled in run- 
ning, jumping, and all rough-and-tumble sports. If, when 
wrestling, a stronger boy threw him to the ground, he was 
so agile that he always managed to regain his feet. 

While he was yet a lad the Revolution broke out, and 




Andrew Jackson. 



386 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

there was severe fighting between the Americans and the 
British near his home. He was only thirteen when he was 
made a prisoner of war. 

One day, soon after his capture, a British officer gave him 
a pair of muddy boots to clean. The fiery youth flashed 
back: "Sir, I am not your slave. I am your prisoner, and 
as such I refuse to do the work of a slave." Angered by 
this reply, the brutal officer struck the boy a cruel blow 
with his sword, inflicting two severe wounds. 

Andrew was kept in a prison pen about the Camden jail. 
As he was without shelter and almost without food, the 
wounds refused to heal, and in his weak and half-starved 
condition he fell a victim to smallpox. His mother, hearing 
of her boy's wretched plight, secured his release and took 
him home. He was ill for months, and before he entirely 
recovered his mother died, leaving him quite alone in the 
world. 

In time, however, these early hardships passed, and 
some years later we see Andrew, a young man of twenty- 
one, now become a lawyer. He is over six feet tall, slender, 
straight, and graceful, with a long, slim face, and thick hair 
falling over his forehead and shading his piercing blue eyes. 
He has crossed the mountains with an emigrant party into 
the backwoods region of Tennessee. 

The party arrived at Nashville, where their life was very 
much like that of Daniel Boone in Kentucky. 

Young Jackson passed through many dangers without 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



387 



harm, and by his industry and business ability became a 
successful lawyer and in time a wealthy landowner. 

After his marriage he built, on a plantation of one thou- 
sand one hundred acres, about ten miles from Nashville, a 




"The Hermitage," the Home of Andrew Jackson. 

house which he called "The Hermitage." Here he and his 
wife kept open house for visitors, treating rich and poor 
with like hospitality. His warm heart and generous nature 
were especially shown in his own household, where he was 
kind to all, including his slaves. 

To the end of his life he had a childlike simplicity of 



:;xs 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



nature. But we must not think of him as a faultless man, 
for he was often rough in manner and speech, and his vio- 
lent temper got him into serious troubles. Among them 

v ««»« „« .. u-r, „ „ «.«. » wer e some f ool- 

^#^fcfp wk wit * 



'fin ifm^r 






ish duels. 

Yet, with 
all his faults, 
he was brave 
and patriotic 
and did splen- 
did service as 
a fighter in In- 
dian wars. After 
one of his duels, 
with a ball in 
his shoulder 
and his left arm 
in a sling, he 
went to lead an 
army of two 
thousand five 
hundred men in an attack on the Creek Indians, who had 
risen against the whites in Alabama. Although weak from a 
long illness, Jackson marched with vigor against the Creeks, 
and after a campaign of much hardship, badly defeated them 
at Horseshoe Bend, in eastern Alabama. He thus broke for 
all time the power of the Indians south of the Ohio River. 




Fighting the Seminole Indians, under Jackson. 



INCREASING THE NEW REPUBLIC 



:;s<) 



Some three years later (1817) General Jackson, as he was 
now called, was sent with a body of troops down to southern 
Georgia, to protect the people there from the Seminole In- 
dians, who lived in Florida. At this time Florida belonged to 
Spain. Its vast swamps 
and dense forests made 
a place of refuge from 
which outlaws, run- 
away negroes, and In- 
dians all made a prac- 
tice of sallying forth 
in bands across the 
border into southern 
Georgia. There they 
would drive off cattle, 
burn houses, and 
murder men, women, 
and children without 

merev Jackson's Campaign. 

When Jackson pursued these thieves and murderers, 
they retreated to their hiding-places beyond the boundaries 
of Florida. But it was more than Jackson could endure to 
see his enemy escape him so easily. And, although he was 
exceeding his orders, he followed them across the border, 
burned some of their villages, and hanged some of the 
Indian chiefs. He did not stop until he had all of Florida 
under his control. 




390 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

This was a high-handed proceeding, for that territoiy 
belonged to Spain. However, serious trouble was avoided 
by our buying Florida (1819). This purchase added ter- 
ritory of fifty-nine thousand two hundred and sixty-eight 
square miles to the United States. It was only six thousand 
square miles less than the whole area of New England. 

By studying your map you can easily see how much 
the area of the United States was extended by the pur- 
chase of Louisiana and of Florida. The adding of these 
two large territories made America one of the great nations 
of the world in landed estate. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell all you can about Jefferson's boyhood. What kind of student 

was he in college? 

2. How did he help his countrymen before taking up his public life ? 

3. Why did the Westerners wish the Mississippi to be open to their 

trade ? 

4. Why was Napoleon willing to sell us the whole of Louisiana ? Use 

your map in making clear to yourself just what the Louisiana 
Purchase included. 
[>. Why did Jefferson send Lewis and Clark on their famous expedi- 
tion? What were the results of this expedition? 

6. What kind of boy was Andrew Jackson ? What kind of man ? 

7. What part did he take in the events leading up to the purchase of 

Florida ? 



CHAPTER XXXV 
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 

After the purchase of Louisiana and the explorations 
of Lewis and Clark, the number of settlers who went from 
the eastern part of the country to find new homes in the 
West kept on increasing as it had been doing since Boone, 
Robertson, and Sevier had pushed their way across the 
mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee, twenty-five or 
thirty years earlier. 

These pioneers, if they went westward by land, had 
to load their goods on pack-horses and follow the Indian 
trail. Later the trail was widened into a roadway, and 
wagons could be used. But travel by land was slow and, 
hard under any conditions. 

Going by water, while cheaper, was inconvenient, for 
the travellers must use the flatboat, which was clumsy and 
slow and, worst of all, of little use except when going down 
stream. 

The great need both for travel and for trade, then, was 
a boat which would not be dependent upon wind or current, 
but could be propelled by steam. Many men had tried to 
work out such an invention. Among them was John 
Rumsey, of Maryland, who built a steamboat in 1774, and 

391 



392 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



John Fitch, of Connecticut, who completed his first model 
of a steamboat in 1785. 

In the next four years Fitch built three steamboats, 
the last of which made regular trips on the Delaware River, 
between Philadelphia and Burlington, during the summer 
of 1786. It was used as a passenger boat, and it made a 

speed of eight miles an hour; but 
Fitch was not able to secure enough 
aid from men of capital and in- 
fluence to make his boats per- 
manently successful. 

The first man to construct a 
steamboat which continued to give 
successful service was Robert Ful- 
ton. Robert Fulton was born of 
poor parents in Little Britain, 
Pennsylvania, in 1765, the year of the famous Stamp Act. 
When the boy was only three years old his father died, 
and so Robert was brought up by his mother. She taught 
him at home until he was eight, and then sent him to 
school. Here he showed an unusual liking for drawing. 

Outside of school hours his special delight was to visit 
the shops of mechanics, who humored the boy and let him 
work out his clever ideas with his own hands. 

A story is told of how Robert came into school late one 
morning and gave as his excuse that he had been at a shop 
beating a piece of lead into a pencil. At the same time he 




Robert Fulton. 



INTERNAL I MPROVEMENTS 



393 



took the pencil from his pocket, and showing it to his 
teacher, said: "It is the best one I have ever used." Upon 
carefully looking at the pencil, the schoolmaster was so 
well pleased that he praised Robert's efforts, and in a short 
time nearly all the pupils were using that kind of pencil. 




Fulton's First Experiment with Paddle- Wheels. 

Another example of Robert's inventive gift belongs to 
his boyhood days. He and one of his playmates from time 
to time went fishing in a flatboat, which they propelled 
with long poles. It was hard work and slow, and pres- 
ently Robert thought out an easier way. He made two 
crude paddle-wheels, attached one to each side of the 
boat, and connected them with a sort of double crank. 
By turning this, the boys made the wheels revolve, and 
these carried the boat through the water easily. We may 
be sure that Robert's boat became very popular, and that 
turning the crank was a privilege in which each boy ea- 
gerly took his turn. 



394 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

While still young, Robert began to paint pictures also 
By the time he was seventeen he had become skilful in 
the use of his brush and went to Philadelphia to devote 
his time to painting portraits and miniatures. Being a 
tireless worker, he earned enough here to support himself 
and send something to his mother. 

At the age of twenty-one his interest in art led him to 
go to London, where he studied for several years under 
Benjamin West. This famous master took young Fulton 
into his household and was very friendly to him. 

After leaving West's studio Fulton still remained in 
England, and although continuing to paint he gave much 
thought also to the development of canal systems. His 
love for invention was getting the better of his love for 
art and was leading him on to the work which made him 
famous. He was about thirty when he finally gave up paint- 
ing altogether and turned his whole attention to inventing. 

He went from England to Paris, where he lived in the 
family of Joel Barlow, an American poet and public man. 
Here he made successful experiments with a diving boat 
which he had designed to carry cases of gunpowder under 
water. This was one of the stages in the development of 
our modern torpedo-boat. 

Although this invention alone would give Fulton a 
place in history, it was not one which would affect so many 
people as the later one, the steamboat, with which his 
name is more often associated. 






INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 395 

Even before he had begun to experiment with the tor- 
pedo-boat Fulton had been deeply interested in steam 
navigation, and while in Paris he constructed a steamboat. 
In this undertaking he was greatly aided by Robert R. 
Livingston, American minister at the French court, who 
had himself done some experimenting in that line. Liv- 
ingston, therefore, was glad to furnish the money which 
Fulton needed in order to build the boat. 

It was finished by the spring of 1803. But just as they 
were getting ready for a trial trip, early one morning the 
boat broke in two parts and sank to the bottom of the 
River Seine. The frame had been too weak to support 
the weight of the heavy machinery. 

Having discovered just what was wrong in this first 
attempt, Fulton built another steamboat soon after his re- 
turn to America, in 1806. This boat was one hundred and 
thirty feet long, eighteen feet wide, with mast and sail, and 
had on each side a wheel fifteen feet across. 

On the morning of the day in August, 1807, set for the 
trial of the Clermont — as Fulton called his boat — an ex- 
pectant throng of curious onlookers gathered on the banks 
of the North, or Hudson, River, at New York. Every- 
body was looking for failure. For though Fitch's boats 
had made trips in the Delaware only some twenty years 
earlier, the fact did not seem to be generally known. Peo- 
ple had all along spoken of Fulton as a half-crazy dreamer 
and had called his boat "Fulton's Folly." "Of course, the 



396 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



thing will not move," said one scoffer. "That any man with 
common sense well knows," another replied. And yet they 
all stood watching for Fulton's signal to start the boat. 




~.^«*»?**£^ 



V ^>:::S- 






The "Clermont" in Duplicate at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 190'J. 

The signal is given. A slight tremor of motion and the 
boat is still. "There! What did I say?" cried one. "I 
told you so !" exclaimed another. "I knew the boat would 
not go," said yet another. But they spoke too soon, for 
after a little delay the wheels of the Clermont began to 
revolve, slowly and hesitatingly at first, but soon with more 
speed, and the boat steamed proudly off up the Hudson. 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 397 

As she moved forward, all along the river people who 
had come from far and near stood watching the strange 
sight. When boatmen and sailors on the Hudson heard 
the harsh clanking of machinery and saw the huge sparks 
and dense black smoke rising out of her funnel, they thought 
that the Clermont was a sea-monster. In fact, they were 
so frightened that some of them went ashore, some jumped 
into the river to get away, and some fell on their knees in 
fear, believing that their last day had come. It is said that 
one old Dutchman exclaimed to his wife: "I have seen the 
devil coming up the river on a raft !" 

The men who were working the boat had no such fool- 
ish fears. They set themselves to their task and made the 
trip from New York to Albany, a distance of one hundred 
and fifty miles, in thirty-two hours. Success had at last 
come to the quiet, modest, persevering Fulton. After this 
trial trip the Clermont was used as a regular passenger 
boat between New York and Albany. 

The steamboat was Fulton's great gift to the world and 
his last work of public interest. He died in 1815. 

But the Clermont was only the beginning of steam- 
driven craft on the rivers and lakes of our country. Four 
years afterward (1811), the first steamboat west of the 
Alleghany Mountains began its route from Pittsburg down 
the Ohio, and a few years later similar craft were in use on 
the Great Lakes. 



898 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



THE NATIONAL ROAD AND THE ERIE CANAL 

But while steamboats made the rivers and lakes easy 
routes for travel and traffic, something was needed to make 
journeys by land less difficult. To meet this need, new high- 




from the painting by C. Y. Turtle) in the DeW'ttt Clinton High School, New Yorfc* 

The Opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. 

ways had to be supplied, and this great work of building 
public roads was taken up by the United States Govern- 
ment. Many roads were built, but the most important 
was the one known as the National Road. 

It ran from Cumberland, on the Potomac, through 
Maryland and Pennsylvania to Wheeling, West Virginia, 
on the Ohio River. From there it was extended to Indiana 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 



399 



and Illinois, ending at Vandalia, which at that time was the 
capital of Illinois. It was seven hundred miles long, and 
cost seven million dollars. 

This smooth and solid roadway was eighty feet wide; 
it was paved with stone and covered with gravel. Trans- 




From the painting by C Y. Turner in the DeWitt Clinton High School, Xew York, 

The Ceremony Called " The Marriage of the Waters." 

portation became not only much easier but also much 
cheaper. The road filled a long-felt need and a flood of 
travel and traffic immediately swept over it. 

Another kind of highway which proved to be of untold 
value to both the East and the West, was the canal, or arti- 
ficial waterway connecting two bodies of water. 

The most important was the Erie Canal, connecting the 



400 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Hudson River and Lake Erie, begun in 1817. This new idea 
received the same scornful attention from the unthinking 
as "Fulton's Folly." By many it was called "Clinton's 
Ditch/' after Governor DeWitt Clinton, to whose foresight 
we are indebted for the building of this much-used water- 
way. The scoffers shook their heads and said: "Clinton 
will bankrupt the State"; "The canal is a great extrava- 
gance"; and so on. 

But he did not stop because of criticism, and in 1825 
the canal was finished. The undertaking had been pushed 
through in eight years. It was a great triumph for Clinton 
and a proud day for the State. 

When the work was completed the news was signalled 
from Buffalo to New York in a novel way. As you know, 
there was neither telephone nor telegraph then. But at 
intervals of five miles all along the route cannon were 
stationed. When the report from the first cannon was 
heard, the second was fired, and thus the news went boom- 
ing eastward till, in an hour and a half, it reached New 
York. 

Clinton himself journeyed to New York in the canal- 
boat Seneca Chief. This was drawn by four gray horses, 
which went along the tow-path beside the canal. As the 
boat passed quietly along, people thronged the banks to 
do honor to the occasion. 

When the Seneca Chief reached New York City, Gov- 
ernor Clinton, standing on deck, lifted a gilded keg filled 



I NTE RN A I , I M PRO VEMENTS 



401 



with water from Lake Erie and* poured it into the harbor. 
As he did so, he prayed that "the God of the heaven and 
the earth" would smile upon the work just completed and 
make it useful to the human race. Thus was dedicated 



lk^»~^ 


• 


• 






_^rfg^rik 




ESP 




*5!N! 



Erie Canal on the Right and Aqueduct over the Mohawk River, New York. 

this great waterway, whose usefulness has more than ful- 
filled the hope of its chief promoter. 

Trade between the East and the West began to grow 
rapidly. Vast quantities of manufactured goods were 
moved easily from the East to the West, and supplies of 
food were shipped in the opposite direction. Prices began 
to fall because the cost of carrying goods was so much less. 
It cost ten dollars before the canal was dug to carry a barrel 
of flour from Buffalo to Albany; now it costs thirty cents. 

The region through which the canal ran was at that 
time mostly wilderness, and for some years packets carrying 
passengers as well as freight were drawn through the canal 
by horses travelling the tow-path along the bank. 



402 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



When travelling was so easy and safe, the number of 
people moving westward to this region grew larger rapidly. 
Land was in demand and became more valuable. Farm 
products sold at higher prices. Villages sprang up, fac- 
tories were built, and the older towns grew rapidly in size. 

The great cities of New 
York State — and this is 
especially true of New 
York City — owe much 
of their growth to the 
Erie Canal. 

THE RAILROAD 

The steamboat, the 
national highways, and 
the canals were all 
great aids to men in 
travel and in carrying 
goods. The next great improvement was the use of steam- 
power to transport people and goods overland. It was 
brought about by the railroad and the locomotive. 

In this country, the first laying of rails to make a level 
surface for wheels to roll upon was at Quincy, Massa- 
chusetts. This railroad was three miles long, extending 
from the quarry to the seacoast. The cars were drawn by 
horses. 

Our first passenger railroad was begun in 1828. It was 




'Tom Thumb," Peter Cooper's Locomotive 

Working Model, First Used Near 

Baltimore in 1830. 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 



403 



RAIL-ROAD ROUTE II 

l)nnffi 



BETWEEN" 



called the Baltimore and Ohio and was the beginning of 

the railroad as we know it to-day. But those early roads 

would seem very strange now. The rails were of wood, 

covered with a thin strip of iron to protect the wood from 

wear. Even as late as 

the Civil War rails of 

this kind were in use 

in some places. The 

first cross-ties were of 

stone instead of wood, 

and the locomotives 

and cars of early days 

were very crude. 

In 1833, people who 
were coming from the 
West to attend Presi- 
dent Jackson's second 
inauguration travelled 
part of the way by 
railroad. They came 
over the National Road 




ME MEttMffllltffl 10 HE JDI 18. M 

■ m>m ■ 

Tfcwi wTlll pay through Iclween Albany and Buffalo, • $10. in toe test cars. 

do. do. J->. 8. in accomodation ear* 

Waaich havo bcf n Tf-arranprd, cashloned and Lighted. 
Those vrho pay though "between Albany & Rochester, 58. In the best car*. 

do. do. do. 6 50 in accomodation. cars. 



F ETnmrcn>Tuigg^n wn. <M<B TtaMpg. 



GOING TVEST. 

Ib Train U Trtm * Trw* 

!>«*• AlHny. 6 AM VPM. 7; P.M. 

P.u SthutccUdT. T, A. M. 3 PM. 9 PM. 

Put Vti». 1. T M * P. M 4 A.M. 

Pu* Svr.ciase, S;PH. 2AM 8AM. 
P«u Auburn, 1 I ■' M 4 AM. 10 A M. 

PiSJ K*t>ciur, ? A M 10 A R 4 P M. 

ArrtoilBuSilo. JAN. 3 P.M. S P. M. 



GOING EAST. 



In tjtto Jl Tnt\ M fum, 
!>*v» DuMfc 4AM 9 AM. 4 PM. 

Pu) He, hi mix, S; A. M. 1PM 14 P. M. 
Pus Auburn. 3; P M. B P. M 4A.H. 

Pan Syracuse, VP Mil P M. « AM. 
Puis i !■.:.!, 9; P. M 4) A. M 10 A. M. 

Pmi 5chtn»eu4y. \ A M 10 A M. J P. M, 
ArnTeuAlb*n?. SAM. II AM «;P N. 



MMjjjTj gju u ggn esM-Y sw spse iai kotbmt. 

asieiurerf will procure tickets at the offices at Albany. Buffalo or Rochester 

through, to bo entitled to Mats at the reduced rates. 

Fare will be received at eaeb of the above places to any other place* 

named on the rootc 



From an Old Time-table (furnished by the " A B C Pathfinder 
Railway~Cuide "). 

Railroad Poster of 1843. 



as far as Frederick, 

Maryland, and there left it to enter a train of six cars, 

each accommodating sixteen persons. The train was drawn 

by horses. In this manner they continued their journey to 

Baltimore. 

In the autumn of that year a railroad was opened be- 



404 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



tween New York and Philadelphia. At first horses were 
used to draw the train, but by the end of the year loco- 
motives, which ran at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, 
were introduced. This was a tremendous stride in uhe 
progress of railroad traffic. 

To be sure, the locomotives were small, but two or more 
started off together, each drawing its own little train of 




Comparison of " DeWitt Clinton " Locomotive and Train, the First Train Operated 
in New York, with a Modern Locomotive of the New York Central R. R. 



cars. Behind the locomotive was a car which was a mere 
platform with a row of benches, seating perhaps forty 
passengers, inside of an open railing. Then followed four 
or five cars looking very much like stage-coaches, each 
having three compartments, with doors on each side. The 
last car was a high, open-railed van, in which the baggage 
of the whole train was heaped up and covered with oilcloth. 
How strange a train of this sort would look beside one of 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 405 

our modern express-trains, with its huge engine, and its 
sleeping, dining, and parlor cars ! 

You will be surprised that any objection was raised 
to the railroad. Its earliest use had been in England, and 
when there was talk of introducing it in this country some 
people said: "If those who now travel by stage take the 
railroad coaches, then stage-drivers will be thrown out of 
work!" Little could they foresee what a huge army of 
men would find work on the modern railroad. 

In spite of all obstacles and objections, the railroads, 
once begun, grew rapidly in favor. In 1833 there were 
scarcely three hundred and eighty miles of railroad in the 
United States; now there are more than two hundred and 
forty thousand miles. 

MORSE AND THE TELEGRAPH 

The next stride which Progress made seemed even more 
wonderful. Having contrived an easier and a quicker way 
to move men and their belongings from one place to another, 
what should she do but whisper in the ear of a thinking 
man: "You can make thought travel many times faster.'' 
The man whose inventive genius made it possible for men 
to flash their thoughts thousands of miles in a few seconds 
of time was Samuel Finley Breese Morse. 

He was born in 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. 
His father was a learned minister, who "was always think- 
ing, always writing, always talking, always acting"; and 



406 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



his mother was a woman of noble character, who inspired 
her son with lofty purpose. 

When he was seven he went to Andover, Massachusetts, 
to school, and still later entered Phillips Academy in the 
same town. At fourteen he entered Yale College, where 
from the first he was a good, faithful student. 

As his father was poor, Finley had to help himself along, 
and was able to do it by painting, on ivory, likenesses of 

his classmates and professors, for 
which he received from one dollar 
to five dollars each. In this way 
he made considerable money. 

At the end of his college course 
he made painting his chosen pro- 
fession and went to London, where 
he studied four years under Ben- 
jamin West. Though for some 
years he divided his time and 
effort between painting and in- 
vention, he at last decided to devote himself wholly to 
invention. This change in his life-work was the outcome 
of an incident which took place on a second voyage home 
from Europe, where he had been spending another period 
in study. 

On the ocean steamer the conversation at dinner one 
day was about some experiments with electricity. One 
of the men present said that so far as had been learned from 




S. F. B Morse. 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 407 

experiment electricity passes through any length of wire 
in a second of time. 

"Then/' said Morse, "thought can be transmitted hun- 
dreds of miles in a moment by means of electricity; for, if 
electricity will go ten miles without stopping, I can make 
it go around the globe." 

When once he began to think about this great possi- 
bility, the thought held him in its grip. In fact, it shut out 
all others. Through busy days and « 

sleepless nights he turned it over 
and over. And often, while en- 
gaged in other 
duties, he would 
snatch his note- """ 

The First Telegraph Instrument. 

book from his 

pocket in order to outline the new instrument he had in mind 

and jot down the signs he would use in sending messages. 

It was not long before he had worked out on paper the 
whole scheme of transmitting thou'ght over long distances 
by means of electricity. 

And now began twelve toilsome years of struggle to 
plan and work out machinery for his invention. All these 
years he had to earn money for the support of his three 
motherless children. So he gave up to painting much time 
that he would otherwise have spent upon his invention. 
His progress, therefore, was slow and painful, but he pressed 
forward. He was not the kind of man to give up. 



408 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORl 



In a room on the fifth floor of a building in New York 
City he toiled at his experiments day and night, with little 
food, and that of the simplest kind. Indeed so meagre 
was his fare, mainly crackers and tea, that he bought 




Modem Telegraph Office. 

provisions at night in order to keep his friends from find- 
ing out how great his need was. 

During this time of hardship all that kept starvation 
from his door was lessons in painting to a few pupils. On 
a certain occasion Morse said to one of them, who owed 
him for a few months' teaching: "Well, Strothers, my boy, 
how are we off for money?" 

"Professor," said the young fellow, "I am sorry to say I 
have been disappointed, but I expect the money next week." 

"Next week !" cried his needy teacher; "I shall be dead 
by next week." 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 



409 



''Dead, sir?" was the shocked response of Strothers. 

''Yes, dead by starvation!" was the emphatic answer. 

"Would ten dollars be of any service?" asked the pupil, 
now seeing that the situ- 
ation was serious. 

"Ten dollars would 
save my life," was the 
reply of the poor man, 
who had been without 
food for twenty-four 
hours. You may be sure 
that Strothers promptly 
handed him the money. 

But hi spite of heavy 
trials and many discour- 
agements, he had by 
1837 finished a machine 
which he exhibited in 
New York, although he 
did not secure a patent 
until 1840. 

Then followed a tedious effort to induce the govern- 
ment at Washington to vote money for his great enter- 
prise. Finally, after much delay, the House of Represen- 
tatives passed a bill "appropriating thirty thousand dollars 
for a trial of the telegraph." 

As you may know, a bill cannot become a law unless 




The Operation of the Modern Railroad is De- 
pendent upon the Telegraph. 



410 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

the Senate also passes it. But the Senate did not seem 
friendly to this one. Many believed that the whole idea 
of the telegraph was rank folly. They thought of Morse 
and the telegraph very much as people had thought of Ful- 
ton and the steamboat, and made fun of him as a crazy- 
brained fellow. 

Up to the evening of the last day of the session the bill 
had not been taken up by the Senate. Morse sat anxiously 
waiting in the Senate Chamber until nearly midnight, when, 
believing there was no longer any hope, he left the room 
and went home with a heavy heart. 

Imagine his surprise the next morning, when a young 
woman, Miss Ellsworth, congratulated him at breakfast 
upon the passage of his bill. At first he could scarcely be- 
lieve the good news, but when he found that she was tell- 
ing him the truth his joy was unbounded, and he promised 
her that she should choose the first message. 

By the next year (1844) a telegraph-line, extending from 
Baltimore to Washington, was ready for use. On the day 
appointed for trial Morse met a party of friends in the 
chambers of the Supreme Court at the Washington end of 
the line arid, sitting at the instrument which he had him- 
self placed for trial, the happy inventor sent the message 
selected by Miss Ellsworth: "What hath God wrought!" 

The telegraph was a great and brilliant achievement, 
and brought to its inventor well-earned fame. Now that 
success had come, honors were showered upon him by many 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 411 

countries. At the suggestion of the French Emperor, rep- 
resentatives from many countries in Europe met in Paris 
to decide upon some suitable testimonial to Morse as one 
who had done so much for the world. These delegates 
voted him a sum amounting to eighty thousand dollars as 
a token of appreciation for his great invention. 

In 1872 this noble inventor, at the ripe age of eighty- 
one, breathed his last. The grief of the people all over the 
land was strong proof of the place he held in the hearts of 
his countrymen. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell all you can about John Fitch's steamboats. 

2. Give examples which indicate young Fulton's inventive gifts. 

Imagine yourself on the banks of the North River on the day 
set for the trial of the Clermont, and tell what happened. 

3. What and where was the National Road? 

4. In what ways was the Erie Canal useful to the people? 

5. Describe the first railroads and the first trains. 

6. Tell what you can about Morse's twelve toilsome years of strug- 

gle while he was working out his great invention. How is 
the telegraph useful to men? 

7. What do you admire about Morse? 

8. Are you making frequent use of your map ? 



CHAPTER XXXVI 
THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 

SAM HOUSTON 

In a preceding chapter you learned how the great terri- 
tories of Louisiana and Florida came to belong to America. 
We are now to learn of still other additions, namely, the 
great regions of Texas and California. 

The most prominent man in the events connected with 
our getting Texas was Sam Houston. 

He was born, of Irish descent, in 
1793, in a farmhouse in Virginia. 
When he was thirteen years old the 
family removed to a place in Ten- 
nessee, near the home of the Cherokee 
Indians. The boy received but little 
schooling out in that new country. 
In fact, he cared far less about school 
than he did for the active, free life of 
his Indian neighbors. 

So when his family decided to have 
him learn a trade he ran away from home and joined the 
Cherokees. There he made friends, and one of the chiefs 
adopted him as a son. We may think of him as enjoying 

412 







Sam Houston. 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 413 

the sports and games, the hunting and fishing, which took 
up so much of the time of the Indian boys. 

On returning to his home, at the age of eighteen, he went 
to school for a term at Marysville Academy. In the War 
of 1812 he became a soldier and served under Andrew Jack- 
son in the campaign against the Creek Indians. In the 
battle of Horseshoe Bend he fought with reckless bravery. 
During that fearful struggle he received a wound in the 
thigh. His commander, Jackson, then ordered him to 
stop fighting, but Houston refused to obey and was lead- 
ing a desperate charge against the enemy when his right 
arm was shattered. It was a long time before he was well 
and strong again, but he had made a firm friend in Andrew 
Jackson. 

Later Houston studied law and began a successful 
practice. He became so popular in Tennessee that the 
people elected him to many positions of honor and trust, 
the last of which was that of governor. About that time 
he was married, but a few weeks later he and his wife sepa- 
rated. Then, suddenly and without giving any reason for 
his strange conduct, he left his home and his State and 
went far up the Arkansas River to the home of his early 
friends the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees had been 
removed to that distant country, beyond the Mississippi, 
by the United States Government. 

About a year later Houston, wearing the garb of his 
adopted tribe, went in company with some of them to 



414 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



Washington. His stated purpose was to secure a contract 
for furnishing rations to the Cherokees. 

But another purpose was in his mind. He had set 
his heart on winning Texas for the United States. Perhaps 




O Matamoros 



Route of Texan Army 
Route of Mexican Army 



Scene of Houston's Campaign. 

he talked over the scheme with his friend, President Jack- 
son. However that may be, we know that some three years 
afterward Houston again left his Cherokee friends and went 
to Texas to live. His desire to secure this region for his 
country was as strong as ever. 

At that time Texas was a part of Mexico. Already 
before Houston went down to that far-away land many 
people from the United States had begun to settle there. 
At first they were welcomed. But when the Mexicans 
saw the Americans rapidly growing in numbers they began 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 



415 



to oppress them. The Mexican Government went so far 
as to require them to give up their private arms, which 
would leave them defenseless against the Indians as well 
as bad men. Then it passed a law which said, in effect, 
that no more settlers should come to Texas from the United 
States, so that the few thousand 
Americans could not be strength- 
ened in numbers. 

Of course, the Texans were in- 
dignant, and they rebelled against 
Mexico, declaring Texas to be an 
independent republic. At the same 
time thev elected Houston com- 
mander-in-chief of all the Texan 
troops. This began a bitter war. 
The Mexican dictator, Santa Anna, with an army four or 
five thousand strong, marched into Texas to force the peo- 
ple to submit to the government. 

The first important event of this struggle was the cap- 
ture of the Alamo, an old Texan fortress at San Antonio. 
Although the garrison numbered only one hundred and 
forty, they were men of reckless daring, without fear, and 
they determined to fight to the last. 




Flag of the Republic of Texas. 



DAVID CROCKETT 



Among these hardy fighters was David Crockett, a pio- 
neer and adventurer who had led a wild, roving life. He 



416 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



was a famous hunter and marksman and, like some of our 
other frontiersmen, was never happier than when he was 
aione in the deep, dark forests. 

Born in eastern Tennessee, in 1786, he received no 
schooling, but he was a man of good understanding. His 
amusing stories and his skill with the rifle had made him 

many friends, who chose him to represent 
their district in the Tennessee Legisla- 
ture and later in Congress. 

Like Sam Houston, he had served 
under Andrew Jackson in the war with 
the Creek Indians, and when the struggle 
with Mexico broke out he was one of 
the many brave backwoodsmen who left 
their homes and went down to help the 
Texans. 

After a long journey from Tennessee, 
in which more than once he came near being killed by 
the Indians or wild beasts, he at last reached the fortress 
of the Alamo. He knew he was taking great risks in join- 
ing the small garrison there, but that did not hold him 
back. In fact, he liked danger. 

The Mexican army, upon reaching San Antonio, began 
firing upon the Alamo. Their cannon riddled the fort, 
making wide breaches in the weak outer walls through which 
from every side thousands of Mexicans thronged into it. 
The Americans emptied their muskets and then fought 




David Crockett. 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 



417 



with knives and revolvers. They fought with desperate 
bravery until only five of the soldiers were left. 

One of these was David Crockett. He had turned 
his musket about and 
was using it as a club 
in his desperate strug- 
gle with the scores of 
men who sought his 
life. There he stood, 
his back against the 
wall, with the bodies of 
the Mexicans he had 
slain lying in a semi- 
circle about him. His 
foes dared not* rush 
upon him, but some of 
them held him at bay 
with their lances, while 
others, having loaded 
their muskets, riddled 
his bodv with bullets. 




The Fight at the Alamo. 

Thus fell brave David Crockett, a 



martyr to his country's cause. 



A few weeks after the tragedy of the Alamo, Santa Anna's 
army massacred a force of five hundred Texans at Goliad. 
The outlook for the Texan cause was now dark enough. 
But Sam Houston, who commanded something like seven 



418 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

hundred Texans, would not give up. He retreated east- 
ward for some two hundred and fifty miles. But when he 
learned that Santa Anna had broken up his army into three 
divisions and was approaching with only about one thou- 
sand six hundred men Houston halted his troops and waited 
for them to come up. On their approach he stood ready 
for attack in a well-chosen spot near the San Jacinto River, 
where he defeated Santa Anna and took him prisoner. 

The Texans now organized a separate government, and 
in the following autumn elected Houston as the first Presi- 
dent of the Republic of Texas. He did all he could to 
bring about the annexation of Texas to the United States 
and at last succeeded, for Texas entered our Union in 1845. 
It was to be expected that the people of Mexico would not 
like this. They were very angry, and the outcome was the 
Mexican War which lasted nearly two years. 

In 1846 Texas sent Houston to the United States Senate, 
where he served his State for fourteen years. When the 
Civil War broke out he was governor of Texas and, although 
his State seceded, Houston remained firm for the Union. 
On his refusal to resign, he was forced to give up his office. 
He died in 1863. 

JOHN C. FREMONT THE PATHFINDER 

Still another man who acted as agent in this transfer of 
land from Mexico was John C. Fremont. He helped in 
securing California. 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 419 

He was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1813. His father 
died when he was a young child, and his mother went to 
Charleston, South Carolina, to live, and there gave her son 
a good education. After graduating from Charleston Col- 
lege he was employed by the government as assistant 
engineer in making surveys for a 
railroad between Charleston and 
Cincinnati, and also in exploring 
the mountain passes between North 
Carolina and Tennessee. 

He enjoyed this work so much 
that he was eager to explore the \\ 
regions of the far western part of 
our country, which were still largely 

i * v T l l John C. Fremont. 

unknown. Accordingly, he made 

several expeditions beyond the Rocky Mountains, three of 

which are of special importance in our story. 

His first expedition was made in 1842, when he was sent 
out by the War Department to explore the Rocky Moun- 
tains, especially the South Pass, which is in the State of 
Wyoming. He made his way up the Kansas River, crossed 
over to the Platte, which he ascended, and then pushed on 
to the South Pass. Four months after starting he had ex- 
plored this pass and, with four of his men, had gone up to 
the top of Fremont's Peak, where he unfurled to the breeze 
the beautiful stars and stripes. 

The excellent report he made of the expedition was 




420 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



examined with much interest by men of science in our own 
country and in foreign lands. 

In this and also in his second expedition Fremont re- 
ceived much help from a follower, Kit Carson. Kit Carson 

was one of the fa- 
mous scouts and 
hunters of the 
West, who felt 
smothered by the 
civilization of a 
town or city, and 
loved the free, 



roaming life of the 
woodsman. 

Before joining- 
Fremont, Kit Car- 
son had travelled 
over nearly all of 
the Rocky Moun- 
tain country. Up 
to 1834 he was a 
trapper, and had 
wandered back and 
forth among the mountains until they had become very 
familiar to him. During the next eight years, in which he 
served as hunter for Bent's Fort, on the Arkansas River, 
he learned to know the great plains. He was, therefore, 
very useful to Fremont as a guide. 




Fremont's Expedition Crossing the Rocky Mountains. 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 



421 



He was also well acquainted with many Indian tribes. 
He knew their customs, he understood their methods of 
warfare, and was well liked by the Indians themselves. 
He spoke their chief languages as well as he did his mother 
tongue. 

After returning from his first expedition, Fremont made 
up his mind to explore the region between the Rocky 
Mountains and the Pacific. He suc- 
ceeded in getting orders from the 
government to do this, and set out 
on his second expedition in May, 
1843, with thirty-nine men, Kit 
Carson again acting as guide. 

The party left the little town of 
Kansas City in May and, in Septem- 
ber, after travelling for one thousand 
seven hundred miles, they reached a 
vast expanse of water which excited great interest. It was 
much larger than the whole State of Delaware, and its 
waters were salt. It was, therefore, given the name of 
Great Salt Lake. 

Passing on, Fremont reached the upper branch of the 
Columbia River. Then pushing forward down the valley of 
this river, he went as far as Fort Vancouver, near its mouth. 
Having reached the coast, he remained only a few days and 
then set out on his return (November 10). 

His plan was to make his way around the Great Basin, 
a vast, deep valley lying east of the Sierra Nevada Moun- 




Kit Carson. 



422 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

tains. But it was not long before heavy snow on the 
mountains forced him to go down into this basin. He soon 
found that he was in a wild desert region in the depths 
of winter, facing death from cold and starvation. The sit- 
uation was desperate. 

Fremont judged that they were about as far south as 
San Francisco Bay. If this was true, he knew that the dis- 
tance to that place was only about seventy miles. But to 
reach San Francisco Bay it was necessary to cross the moun- 
tains, and the Indians refused to act as guides, telling him 
that men could not possibly cross the steep, rugged heights 
in winter. This did not stop Fremont. He said: "We'll 
go, guides or no guides!" And go they did. 

It was a terrible journey. Sometimes they came to 
places where the snow was one hundred feet deep or more. 
But they pushed forward for nearly six weeks. Finally, 
after suffering from intense cold and from lack of food, they 
made their way down the western side of the mountains, 
men and horses alike being in such a starved condition that 
they were almost walking skeletons. 

At last they reached Sutter's Fort, now the city of Sac- 
ramento, where they enjoyed the hospitality of Captain 
Sutter. After remaining there for a short time, Fremont 
recrossed the mountains, five hundred miles farther south, 
and continued to Utah Lake, which is twenty-eight miles 
south of Great Salt Lake. He had travelled entirely around 
the Great Basin. 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 



423 



From Utah Lake he hastened across the country to 
Washington, with the account of his journey and of the 
discoveries he had made. 

In 1845 Captain Fremont — for he had now been pro- 
moted to the rank of captain by the government — started 




Fremont's Western Explorations. 

out on his third expedition, with the purpose of exploring 
the Great Basin and then proceeding to the coast of what 
is now California and upward to Oregon. 

Having explored the basin, he was on his way to Ore- 
gon, when he learned that the Mexicans were plotting to 
kill all the Americans in the valley of the Sacramento 
River. He therefore turned back to northern California, 
and with a force made up in part of American settlers 
gathered from the country round about, he took posses- 
sion of that region, marched as fast as possible to Mon- 
terey, and captured that place also. Within about two 



424 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

months he had conquered practically all of California for 
the United States. 

Fremont then made his home in California. On the 
4th of the following July he was elected governor of the terri- 
tory by the settlers then living there. Eleven years later the 
Republican party of the United States nominated him for 
President, but failed to elect him. He died in 1890. He 
has well been called "the Pathfinder." 

Fremont's conquest of California was, in effect, a part 
of the Mexican War, which began in 1S46. After nearly two 
years of fighting a treaty of peace was signed, by which 
Mexico ceded to the United States not only California 
but also much of the vast region now included in Nevada, 
Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. 

This region, which is called the Mexican Cession, con- 
tained five hundred and forty-five thousand seven hundred 
and eighty-three square miles, while Texas included five 
hundred and seventy-six thousand one hundred and thirty- 
three square miles. These two areas together were, like 
Louisiana, much larger than the whole of the United States 
at the end of the Revolution. With the addition of Louisi- 
ana in 1803, of Florida in 1819, of Texas in 1845, and of 
this region in 1848, the United States had enormously 
increased her territory. 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 



425 



THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD 

On the same day on which the treaty of peace was signed 
with Mexico (February 2, 1848), gold was discovered in 
California. 

Captain Sutter, a Swiss pioneer living near the site of 
the present city of Sacramento — at Sutter's Fort, where 






Z3. 



-}«.."-<• 




Sutter's Mill. 






Fremont stopped on his second expedition — was having a 
water-power sawmill built up the river at some distance 
from his home. One day one of the workmen, while walking 
along the mill-race, discovered some bright yellow particles, 
the largest of which were about the size of grains of wheat. 
On testing them, Captain Sutter found that they were gold. 
He tried to keep the discovery a secret, but it was im- 
possible to prevent the news from spreading. lc Gold! 



426 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Gold! Gold!" seemed to ring through the air. From all 
the neighboring country men started in a mad rush for the 
gold-fields. Houses were left half built, fields half ploughed. 
"To the diggings!" was the watchword. From the moun- 
tains to the coast, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, set- 
tlements were abandoned. Even vessels that came into the 
harbor of San Francisco were deserted by their crews, sailors 
and captains alike being wild in their desire to dig for gold. 

Within four months of the first discovery four thousand 
men were living in the neighborhood of Sacramento. The 
sudden coming together of so many people made it difficult 
to get supplies, and they rose in value. Tools of many 
kinds sold for large prices. Pickaxes, crowbars, and spades 
cost from ten dollars to fifty dollars apiece. Bowls, trays, 
dishes, and even warming-pans were eagerly sought, because 
they could be used in washing gold. 

It was late in the year before people in the East learned 
of the discovery, for news still travelled slowly. But when 
it arrived, men of every class — farmers, mechanics, lawyers, 
doctors, and even ministers— started West. 

The journey might be made in three ways. One was 
by sailing-vessels around Cape Horn. This route took 
from five to seven months. Another way was to sail from 
some Eastern port to the Isthmus of Panama, and crossing 
this, to take ship to San Francisco. The third route was 
overland, from what is now St. Joseph, Missouri, and re- 
quired three or four months. This could not be taken 



THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER 



427 



until spring, and some who were unwilling to wait started 
at once by the water-routes. 

Men were so eager to go that often several joined to- 
gether to buy an outfit of oxen, mules, wagons, and pro- 
visions. They made the journey in covered wagons called 



\ 







%*'***■ 







Placer-Mining in the days of the California Gold Rush. 

"prairie-schooners," while their goods followed in peddlers' 
carts. It often happened that out on the plains they missed 
their way, for there was no travelled road, and a compass 
was as necessary as if they had been on the ocean. 

Journeying thus by day, and camping by night, they 
suffered many hardships while on the way. Disease laid 
hold of them. Four thousand died from cholera during 
the first year, and many more for lack of suitable food. 



428 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

In some cases they had to kill and eat their mules, and at 
times they lived on rattlesnakes The scattered bones of 
men and beasts marked the trail; for in the frantic desire 
to reach the diggings the wayfarers would not always stop 
to bury their dead. 

When the gold region was reached, tents, wigwams, 
bark huts, and brush arbors served as shelter. The men 
did their own cooking, washing, and mending, and food 
soared to famine prices. A woman or a child was a rare 
sight in all that eager throng, for men in their haste had 
left their families behind. 

It was a time of great excitement. Perhaps you have 
a grandparent who can tell you something of those stirring 
days. The gold craze of '49 is a never-to-be-forgotten 
event in our history. As the search for nuggets and gold- 
dust became less fruitful, many of the men turned home- 
ward, some enriched and some — alas ! — having lost all the)' 
possessed. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What kind of boy was Houston? What kind of man? What 

did he do for Texas? 

2. Tell about David Crockett's heroism at the Alamo. 

3. When reading about Fremont's explorations look up on the map 

every one of them. What do you think of him ? 

4. Who was Kit Carson, and how did he help Fremont ? 

5. Locate on your map every acquisition of territory from the end 

of the Revolution to 1848. 

6. Imagine yourself going to California across the plains and moun- 

tains in 1849, and give, an account of your experiences. 






CHAPTER XXXVII 
THREE GREAT STATESMEN 

JOHN C. CALHOUN 

The territory which we obtained from Mexico added 
much to the vastness of our country. But it led to a 
bitter dispute between the North and the South over 
slavery. For the North said : " All 
this territory shall be free." The 
South said: "It must all be open 
to slavery." 

The trouble over slavery was 
no new thing. It had begun to 
be really serious and dangerous 
many years before the Mexican 
War. To understand why, a year 
or two after the close of this war, 
there should be such deep and 
violent feeling over the question of making the territory 
free or opening it to slavery, we must go back to some earlier 
events in the history of the Union. 

In doing so, we shall find it simpler to follow the careers 
of three great statesmen, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, 
and Daniel Webster, who took each a prominent part in the 
events. 

429 




John C. Calhoun. 



430 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



John C. Calhoun, born in South Carolina in 1782, was 
the youngest but one of a family of five children. His 
father died when he was only thirteen, and until he was 
eighteen he remained on the farm, living a quiet, simple 
out-of-door life, ploughing, hunting, riding, and fishing. 

Then his brother, who had observed John's quickness 
of mind, persuaded him to get an education. After study- 
ing two years and a 



quarter in an acad- 




Calhoun's Office and Library. 



i emy, he entered 



the junior class at 
Yale College. Grad- 
uating in 1804, he 
at once took a 
course in the law 
school at Litchfield, 



Connecticut, and then returned home to complete his 
studies for the bar. 

Calhoun's conduct in school was above reproach, and 
as a man he was always steady and serious-minded. Dur- 
ing the early years of his public life he won much praise 
for his close attention to work, his stately speeches, and 
his courteous manners. His slender and erect form, his 
dignified bearing, and his piercing dark eyes made him an 
impressive figure; while, as a speaker, his powerful voice 
and winning manner were sure to command attention. 

In 1808 he entered the South Carolina Legislature. This 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 431 

was the beginning of his long public career of more than 
forty years. During this time he served his country as a 
representative in Congress, Secretary of War, Vice-President 
of the United States, Secretary of State, and United States 
senator. 

In all these many years he was a prominent leader, 
especially in those events which concerned the slave-holding 
Southern planter. This we shall see later, after we have 
made the acquaintance of the second of the powerful trio 
of great statesmen, Henry Clay. 

HENRY CLAY 

Henry Clay was born near Richmond, Virginia, in 1777, 
in a low, level region called "the Slashes." He was one of 
seven children. His father was a Baptist clergyman, of 
fine voice and pleasing manner of speaking. He died when 
little Henry was four years old, leaving but a small sum for 
his family to live upon. 

Henry went, like the other boys of "the Slashes," to a 
tiny log school without windows or floor. The school- 
master, who knew very little himself, taught the boys to 
read, write, and cipher. But that was all. 

Outside of school hours Henry shared in the farm work. 
He helped with the ploughing and often rode the family 
pony to the mill, using a rope for a bridle and a bag of corn, 
wheat, meal, or flour for a saddle. For this reason he has 
been called "the Mill Boy of the Slashes." 



432 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



When fourteen years old he was given a place as clerk 
in a Richmond drug store. But he was not to stay there 

long, for about this time his 
mother married again, and his 
stepfather became interested in 
him. Realizing that Henry was a 
boy of unusual ability, he secured 
for him a place as copying clerk in 
the office of the Court of Chancery 
at Richmond. 

Henry was fifteen years old, 
tall, thin, and homely, when he 
entered this office. The other 
clerks were inclined to jeer at his 
awkwardness and his plain, home-made, ill-fitting clothes. 
But Henry's sharp retorts quickly silenced them, and they 
soon grew to respect and like him. He was an earnest stu- 
dent. He stayed 
indoors and read 
in the evenings, 
while the other 
young fellows were 
idling about the 
He was 




town 




eager to do some- 
thing in the world. 




-If a 



1 '-k^&r-sbj r-'^^wi^U' 



~~~ IW &-& 



His Opportunity The Birthplace of Henry Clay, near Richmond. 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 



433 



soon came in the ordinary course of his daily work. His 
fine handwriting attracted the notice of the chancellor, a 
very able lawyer. This man was wise and kindly and had 
a deep influence on his young friend. 

Clay joined the Richmond Debating Society and soon 
became the star speaker. He improved his speaking by 
studying daily some passage in a book of history or science, 
and then going out 
into a quiet place 
and declaiming what 
he had learned. 

The chancellor 
knew about this, 
and it pleased him. 
He advised Henry 
Clay to stud)' law, 
and within a year 
after his studies began, when he was only twenty-one years 
old, he was admitted to the bar. 

To begin his law practice, he went to Lexington, Ken- 
tucky, which was then a small place of not more than fifty 
houses; but Clay very soon built up a good practice. Al- 
though he had arrived with scarcely a penny, within a year 
and a half he had been so successful that he was able to 
marry the daughter of a leading family. He soon owned 
a beautiful estate near Lexington, which he called "Ash- 
land," and with it several slaves. 




The Schoolhouse in "the Slashes " 



434 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

He became a great favorite among the people of the 
State, largely because he was absolutely truthful and hon- 
est in all his dealings. He was also talented, good-natured, 
and friendly to all. It is said that no man has ever had 
such power to influence a Kentucky jury as Clay. 

Twice he was sent to the United States Senate to fill 
seats left vacant by resignation, and here his power as a 
speaker was so marked that when it was known that he 
would address the Senate the galleries were always full. 

Such was the beginning of his life as a statesman. It 
lasted some forty years, and during this long period he 
was a prominent leader in the great events having to do 
with the country's future. 

He filled various national offices. He was Speaker of 
the House of Representatives for many years, was four 
years Secretary of State, and during much more than half 
of the time between 1S31 and 1852 he was in the United 
States Senate. Three times he was a candidate for Presi- 
dent, but each time he failed of election. 

He would not swerve by a hair's breadth from what he 
considered his duty, even for party ends. "I would rather 
be right than be President," he said, and men knew that he 
was sincere. 

Living in a Southern State, he would naturally have the 
interests of the South at heart. But he did not always take 
her part. While Calhoun was apt to see but one side of 
a question, Clay was inclined to see something of both sides 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 435 

and to present his views in such a way as to bring about a 
settlement. Therefore he was called "the Great Peace- 
maker." 

His most important work as a peacemaker had to do 
with the Missouri Compromise (1820), the compromise 
tariff (1833), and the Compromise of 1850— all of which 
we look into a little farther on, after we come to know some- 
thing about the last and perhaps the greatest of our three 
statesmen, Daniel Webster. For all three were interested 
in the same great movement. 

DANIEL W T EBSTER 

Daniel Webster was born among the hills of New Hamp- 
shire, in 1782, the son of a poor farmer, and the ninth of 
ten children. As he was a frail child, not able to work much 
on the farm, his parents permitted him to spend much of 
his time fishing, hunting, and roaming at will over the hills. 
Thus he came into close touch with nature and absorbed a 
kind of knowledge which was very useful to him in later 
years. 

He was always learning things, sometimes in most un- 
usual ways, as is shown by an incident which took place 
when he was only eight years old. Having seen in a store 
near his home a small cotton handkerchief with the Con- 
stitution of the United States printed upon it, he gathered 
up his small earnings to the amount of twenty-five cents 
and eagerly secured the treasure. From this unusual copy 



436 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



he learned the Constitution, word for word, so that he 
could repeat it from beginning to end. 

Of course, this was a most remarkable thing for an 
eight-year-old boy to do ; but the boy was himself remark- 
able. He spent much of his time poring over books. They 
were few in number but of good quality, and he read them 

over and over again until they 
became a part of himself. It 
gave him keen pleasure to 
memorize fine poems and also 
noble selections from the Bible, 
for he learned easily and re- 
membered well what he learned. 
In this way he stored his mind 
with the highest kind of truth. 
When he was fourteen his 
Daniel Webster. father sent him to Phillips 

Exeter Academy. The boys he met there were mostly from 
homes of wealth and culture. Some of them were rude 
and laughed at Daniel's plain dress and country maimers. 
Of course, the poor boy, whose health was not robust and 
who was by nature shy and independent, found such treat- 
ment hard to bear. But he studied well and soon com- 
manded respect because of his good work. 

After leaving this school he studied for six months 
under a private tutor, and at the age of fifteen he was 
prepared to enter Dartmouth College. Although he proved 







THREE GREAT STATESMEN ^ 437 

himself to be a youth of unusual mental power, he did 
not take high rank in scholarship. But he continued to 
read widely and thoughtfully and stored up much valu- 
able knowledge, which later he used with clearness and 
force in conversation and debate. 

After being graduated from college Daniel taught for 
a year and earned money enough to help pay his brother's 
college expenses. The following year he studied law and in 
due time was admitted to the bar. As a lawyer he was 
very successful, his income sometimes amounting to twenty 
thousand dollars in a single year. In those days that was 
a very large sum. 

But he could not manage his money affairs well and, no 
matter how large his income, he was always in debt. This 
unfortunate state of affairs was owing to a reckless extrava- 
gance, which he displayed in many ways. 

Indeed, Webster was a man of such large ideas that 
of necessity he did all things on a large scale. It was 
vastness that appealed to him. And this ruling force 
in his nature explains his eagerness to keep the Union 
whole and supreme over the States. This we shall soon 
clearly see. 

SLAVERY AND THE TARIFF 

Having taken this glimpse of our three heroes, let us 
see how the great events of their time were largely moulded 
by their influence.. All of these events, as we are soon to 



438 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

learn, had a direct bearing on slavery, and that was the 
great question of the day. 

Up to the Revolution there was slavery in all the thir- 
teen colonies. Some of them wished to get rid of it; but 
England, the mother country, would not allow them to do 
so, because she profited by the trade in slaves. After the 
Revolution, however, when the States were free to do as 
they pleased about slavery, some put an end to it on their 
own soil, and in time Pennsylvania and the States to the 
north and east of it became free States. 

Many people then believed that slavery would by de- 
grees die out of the land, and perhaps this would have hap- 
pened if the growing of cotton had not been made profitable 
by Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton-gin. 

After that invention came into use, instead of slavery's 
dying out, it took a much stronger hold upon the planters 
of the South than it had ever done before. 

This fact became very evident when Missouri applied 
for admission into the Union. The South, of course, wished 
it to come into the Union as a slave State; the North, 
fearing the extension of slaverv into the Louisiana Pur- 
chase, was equally set upon its coming in as a free State. 

The struggle over the question was a long and bitter 
one, but finally both the North and the South agreed to 
give up a part of what they wanted; that is, they agreed 
upon a compromise. It was this: Missouri was to enter 
the Union as a slave State, but slavery was not to be allowed 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 439 

in any part of the Louisiana Purchase which lay north or 
west of Missouri. This was called the Missouri Compromise 
(1820). 

It was brought about largely through the eloquence and 
power of Henry Clay, and because of his part in it he was 
called "the Great Peacemaker." But Calhoun was one of 
the men who did not think the Missouri Compromise was 
a good thing for the country. He therefore strongly op- 
posed it. 

The next clash between the free States and the slave 
States was caused by the question of the tariff, or tax upon 
goods brought from foreign countries. Not long after the 
Missouri Compromise was agreed upon, Northern manufac- 
turers were urging Congress to pass a high-tariff law. They 
said that, inasmuch as factory labor in England was so much 
cheaper than in this country, goods made in England could 
be sold for less money here than our own factory-made 
goods, unless a law was passed requiring a tax, or duty, to 
be paid upon the goods brought over. Such a tax was 
called a protective tariff. 

Calhoun, who voiced the feeling of the Southern plant- 
ers, said: "This high tariff is unfair, for, while it protects 
the Northern man, it makes us of the South poorer, because 
we have to pay so high for the things we do not make." 

You understand, there were no factories in the South, 
for the people were mostly planters. With the cheap slave 
labor, a Southern man could make more money by raising 



440 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



rice, cotton, sugar, or tobacco than he could by manufac- 
turing. Also, it was thought that the soil and climate of 
the South made that section better fitted for agriculture 
than for anything else. 

"So the South should be allowed," said Calhoun, "to 
buy the manufactured goods — such as cheap clothing for 




The Home of Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Mass. 

her slaves, and household tools and farming implements — 
where she can buy them at the lowest prices." 

But in spite of this bitter opposition in the South, Con- 
gress passed the high-tariff law in 1828, and another in 1832. 

The people of South Carolina were indignant. So, 
under the guidance of Calhoun, some of the leading men 
there met in convention and declared: "We here and now 
nullify the tariff laws." By these words they meant that 
the laws should not be carried out in South Carolina. 
Then they added: "If the United States Government tries 
to enforce these laws on our soil, South Carolina will go 
out of the Union and form a separate nation." 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 441 

Andrew Jackson was at that time President of the 
United States. Although he himself did not favor a high 
tariff, he was firm in his purpose that whatever law Congress 
might pass should be enforced in every State in the Union. 
When the news came to him of what South Carolina had 
done, he was quietly smoking his corn-cob pipe. In a 
flash of anger he declared : ' The Union ! It must and shall 
be preserved! Send for General Scott!" General Scott 
was commander of the United States army, and "Old 
Hickory," as President Jackson was proudly called by many 
of his admirers, was ready to use the army and the navy, 
if necessary, to force any State to obey the law. 

In this bitter controversy Daniel Webster, then senator 
from Massachusetts, had taken a bold stand for the Union. 
He said: "Congress passed the tariff law for the whole 
country. If the Supreme Court decides that Congress has 
the power, according to the Constitution, to pass such a 
law, that settles the matter. South Carolina and everv 
other State must submit to this and every other law which 
Congress sees fit to make." 

This shows clearly that Daniel Webster's belief was 
that the Union stood first and the State second. His deep 
love for the Union breathes all through his masterly speeches, 
the most famous of which is his " Reply to Hayne." Hayne, 
a senator from South Carolina, was on the side of the 
South and set forth its views in a public debate. He had 
declared that the State was first and the Union second, and 



442 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

so powerful seemed his arguments that many doubted 
whether even Daniel Webster could answer them. 

But he did answer them. In a remarkable speech of 
four hours he held his listeners spellbound; while he argued, 
with wonderful eloquence and power, that the Union was 
supreme over the States. 

Again the great peacemaker, Henry Clay, brought for- 
ward a plan of settling the trouble between the two sections. 
By this compromise the duties were to be gradually lowered. 
This plan was adopted by Congress (1833), and again there 
was peace for a time. 

THE COMPROMISE OF 1850 

The next dangerous outbreak between the North and 
the South came at the end of the Mexican War. Then 
arose the burning question: "Shall the territory we have 
acquired from Mexico be free or open to slavery?" Of 
course, the North wanted it to be free ; the South wanted it 
to be open to slavery. 

Henry Clay tried again, as he had tried twice before — 
in 1820 and in 1833 — -to pour oil upon the troubled waters. 
Although he was now an old man of seventy-two and in 
poor health, he spoke seventy times in his powerful, per- 
suasive way, to bring about the Compromise of 1850, which 
he hoped would establish harmony between the North and 
the South and save the Union. 

On one occasion when he was to speak he had to enter 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 



443 



the Capitol leaning upon the arm of a friend, because he 
was too weak to climb the steps alone. After entering 
the Senate Chamber that day, the great speech he made 
was so long that his friends ; fearing fatal results ; urged him 
to stop. But he re- 
fused. Later he said 
that he did not dare to 
stop for fear he should 
never be able to begin 
again. 

Calhoun was no less 
ready to do all he could. 
Early in March, 1850, 
the white-haired man, 
now in his sixty-eighth 
year and, like Clay, 
struggling with illness, 
went to the Senate Chamber, swathed in flannels, to make 
his last appeal in behalf of the slaveholders. The powerful 
speech he made, which was intended as a warning to the 
North, expressed the deep and sincere conviction of the 
aged statesman that the break-up of the Union was at hand. 
He made a strong plea that the agitation against slavery 
should stop, and that the South, which, he said, was the 
weaker section, should be treated fairly by her stronger 
antagonist, the North. 

Having made this last supreme effort in defense of the 




Henry Clay Addressing the United States 
Senate in 1850. 



444 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

section which he loved as he loved his own life, the pro- 
slavery veteran, supported by two of his friends, passed 
out of the Senate Chamber. 

But in spite of Calhoun's opposition, the Compromise 
of 1850 passed. "Let California come in as a free State," 
it said. This pleased the North. "Let the people in all 
the rest of the territory which we got from Mexico decide 
for themselves whether they shall have slavery or freedom." 
This pleased the South. It also adopted the Fugitive Slave 
Law, which said: "When slaves run away from the South 
into the Northern States, they shall be returned to their 
masters; and when Northern people are called upon to 
help to capture them, they shall do so." 

A month after his speech on this compromise Calhoun 
died. The last twenty years of his life had been largely 
devoted to trying to secure what he regarded as the rights 
of the slaveholders and of the whole South. He was hon- 
est in his views. He was also sincere in his convictions that 
the South was not receiving fair treatment from the North. 

Henry Clay also died in 1852. Some of the qualities 
that gave him his rare power over men were his magical 
voice, which was so deep and melodious that many people 
of his time said it was the finest musical instrument they 
had ever heard ; his cheerful nature, which made him keenly 
enjoy life and delight to see others enjoy it; and above all 
else his never-swerving sincerity and honesty, which com- 
manded the respect and confidence of all who knew him. 



THREE GREAT STATESMEN 445 

Men believed that Henry Clay was a true man. His popu- 
larity grew in strength as he grew in years. His many 
followers proudly called him "Gallant Harry of the West." 

Webster's power as an orator was still more remarkable. 
His voice was wonderful, his style was forceful, and his lan- 
guage was simple and direct. But after all, it was his 
striking personal appearance which made the deepest im- 
pression upon the men and women who heard him speak. 
It is told that one day when he was walking through a street 
of Liverpool, a navvy said of him: " That must be a king !" 
On another occasion Sydney Smith exclaimed: "Good 
heavens, he is a small cathedral by himself!" He was 
nearly six feet tall. He had a massive head, a broad, deep 
brow, and great, coal-black eyes, which once seen could 
never be forgotten. 

He, too, was faithful in his devotion to his country. 
To the day of his death he showed his deep affection for 
the flag, the emblem of that Union which had inspired his 
noblest efforts. During the last two weeks of his life he 
was troubled much with sleeplessness. While through his 
open window he gazed at the starlit sky, his eyes would 
sometimes fall upon a small boat belonging to him, which 
floated near the shore not far away. By his direction a 
ship lantern had been so placed that its light would fall 
upon the stars and stripes flying there. At six in the 
evening the flag was raised and was kept flying until six 
in the morning up to the day of Webster's death. 



446 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

He died in September, 1852, only a few weeks after his 
great compeer, Henry Clay. His was a master spirit, and 
the sorrow of his passing was well expressed by the stranger 
who said, when he looked at the face of the dead: "Daniel 
Webster, the world without you will be lonesome." 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What can you tell about the early life of John C. Calhoun? Of 

Henry Clay? Of Daniel Webster ? , 

2. Why was Clay called "the Great Peacemaker"? 

3. Why were the people of South Carolina opposed to the high tariff 

laws of 1828 and 1832 ? 

4. What was Webster's idea of the Union, and in what way did it 

differ from Hayne's ? 

5. What was the Missouri Compromise ? What was the Compromise 

of 1850? 

6. What do you admire about each of the three great statesmen? 

7. Are you making frequent use of your maps? 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 



THE CIVIL WAR 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

It was thought by many that the Compromise of 1850 
would put an end to the bitter and violent feeling over 
the spread of slavery, but it did not. For in the North 
the opposition to its extension into 
new States became so powerful that 
in five years there had grown up a 
great political party — the Repub- 
lican party — whose main purpose 
was to oppose the spread of slavery. 

One of its ablest and most inspir- 
ing leaders was Abraham Lincoln. 
He was born in a rough cabin in 
Kentucky, February 12, 1S09. 
When he was seven years old, the family moved to Indiana, 
and settled about eighteen miles north of the Ohio River. 
The journey to their new home was very tedious and 
lonely, for in some places they had to cut a roadway 
through the forest. It took them three days to travel the 
last eighteen miles. 

Having arrived safely in November, all set vigorously 

447 




Abraham Lincoln. 



44!S LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

to work to provide a shelter against the winter. The seven- 
year oM boy was healthy, rugged, and active, and from early 
morning till late evening he worked with his father, chop- 
ping trees and cutting poles and boughs for their "camp," 
the rude shelter in which they were to live until spring. 

This "camp" was a mere shed, only fourteen feet square 
and open on one side. It was built of poles lying one upon 
another and had a thatched roof of boughs and leaves. 
As there was no chimney, there could be no fire within the 

enclosure, and it was nec- 
essary to keep one burning 
all the time iust in front 
Bifesii§fcrt|||iji W§fm£§fc- of the open side. 
•* g ^ iSii w^^^ §WB&" During this first winter 

Lincoln's Birthplace. m the w j ld woodg Q f J n _ 

diana the little boy must have lived a very busy life. There 
was much to do in building the cabin which was to take the 
place of the "camp," and in cutting down trees and making 
a clearing for the corn-planting of the coming spring. 

After spending the winter in the "camp," the Lincoln 
family, in the following spring, moved into the newly built 
log cabin. This had no windows, and no floor except the 
bare earth. There was an opening on one side, which was 
used as a doorway, but there was no door, nor was there so 
much as an animal's skin to keep out the rain or the snow 
or to protect the family from the cold wind. 

In this rough abode the rude and simple furniture was 




THE CIVIL WAR 449 

very much like what we have already seen in the cabins of 
the Tennessee settlers. For chairs there was the same kind 
of three-legged stools, made by smoothing the flat side of a 
split log and putting sticks into auger holes underneath. 
The tables were as simply made, except that they stood on 
four legs instead of three. The crude bedsteads in the cor- 
ners of the cabin were made by sticking poles in between 
the logs at right angles to the wall, the outside corner where 
the poles met being supported by a crotched stick driven 
into the ground. Ropes were then stretched from side to 
side, making a framework upon which shucks and leaves 
were heaped for bedding, and over all were thrown the 
skins of wild animals for a covering. Pegs driven into the 
wall served as a stairway to the loft, where there was an- 
other bed of leaves. Here little Abe slept. 

Abraham Lincoln's schooling was brief — not more than 
a year in all, and the schools he attended were like those we 
became acquainted with in the early settlements of Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee. During his last school-days he had 
to go daily a distance of four and one-half miles from his 
home, with probably no roadway except the deer path 
through the forest. His midday lunch was a corn dodger, 
which he carried in his pocket. 

In spite of this meagre schooling, however, the boy, by 
his self-reliance, resolute purpose, and good reading habits, 
acquired the very best sort of training for his future life. 
He had no books at his home, and, of course, there were but 



450 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



few to be had in that wild country from other homes. But 
among those he read over, and over again, while a boy, were 
the Bible, "iEsop's Fables," "Robinson Crusoe," "Pilgrim's 




Lincoln Studying by Firelight. 

Progress," "A History of the United States," and Weems's 
"Life of Washington," all books of the right kind. 

His stepmother said of him: "He read everything he 
could lay his hands on, and when he came across a passage 
that struck him, he would write it down on boards, if he 
had no paper, and keep it before him until he could get 
paper. Then he would copy it, look at it, commit it to 
memory, and repeat it." 

When night came he would find a seat in the corner by 



THE CIVIL WAR 451 

the fireside, or stretch out at length on the floor in front 
of it, and by the firelight write, or work sums in arithmetic, 
on a wooden shovel, using a charred stick for a pencil. 
After covering the shovel, he would shave it off and use 
the surface over again. 

The way in which he came to own a "Life of Washing- 
ton" is interesting. Having borrowed the book, he took it to 
bed with him in the loft and read until his candle gave out. 
Then, before going to sleep, he tucked the book into a 
crevice of the logs in order that he might have it at hand 
as soon as daylight would permit him to read the next 
morning. But during the night a storm came up, and the 
rain beat in upon the book, wetting it through and through. 
With heavy heart Lincoln took it back to its owner, who 
gave it to him on condition that he would work three days 
to pay for it. Eagerly agreeing to do this, the boy carried 
his new possession home in triumph. This book had a 
marked influence over his future. 

But his time for reading was limited, for until he was 
twenty his father hired him out to do all sorts of work, at 
which he sometimes earned six dollars a month and some- 
times thirty-one cents a day. Money was always sorely 
needed in that household, the poor farm yielding only a 
small return for much hard work. For this reason, just be- 
fore Abraham Lincoln came of age, his family, with all their 
possessions packed in a cart drawn by four oxen, moved 
again toward the West. For two weeks they travelled across 



452 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



the country into Illinois, and finally made a new home on 
the banks of the Sangamon River. 

On reaching the end of the journey (in the spring of 
1830), Abraham helped to build a log cabin and to clear 
ten acres of land for planting. This was the last work 




Lincoln Splitting Rails. 

he did for his father, as he was now some months over 
twenty-one and was quite ready to go out into the world 
and work for himself. When he left his father's house he 
had nothing, not even a good suit of clothes, and one of 
the first things he did was to split rails for enough brown 
jeans to make him a pair of trousers. As he was six feet 
four inches tall, three and one-half yards were needed ! 
For these he split 1400 rails. 

At times throughout life he was subject to deep depres- 



THE CIVIL WAR 



453 



sion, which made his face unspeakably sad. But as a rule 
he was cheerful and merry, and on account of his good 
stories, which he told with rare skill, he was in great de- 
mand in social gatherings and at the crossroads grocery 
store. He was a giant in strength and a skilful wrestler. 
This helped to make him popular. 

For some months after leaving his father's home Lincoln 
worked in the neighborhood, most of the time as a farm- 
hand and rail-splitter. But 
he desired something dif- 
ferent. From time to time 
he had watched the boats 
carrying freight up and 
down the river and had 
wondered where the ves- 
sels were going. Eager to 
learn about the -life outside his narrow world, he de- 
termined to become a boatman. As soon as he could, 
therefore, he found employment on a flatboat that carried 
corn, hogs, hay, and other farm produce down to Xew 
Orleans. 

But tiring at length of the long journeys, he became 
clerk in a village store at New Salem, Illinois. Many sto- 
ries are told of Lincoln's honesty in his dealings with the 
people in this village store. It is said that on one occa- 
sion a woman, in making change, overpaid him the trifling 
sum of six cents. When Lincoln found out the mistake he 




Lincoln as a Boatman. 



454 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

walked three miles and back that night to give the woman 
her money. 

In less than a year the closing of this village store left 
him without employment, and after this he had a varied 
experience, first in a grocery store of his own, next as post- 
master in New Salem, and then as a surveyor. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND SLAVERY 

After many trials at various occupations, he decided 
at last to become a lawyer, and after being admitted to 
the bar, he opened an office at Springfield, Illinois. He 
succeeded well in his chosen profession, and also took a 
keen interest in the larger affairs of his community and 
State. 

In this wider field of action certain qualities of mind and 
heart greatly aided him. For, in spite of scant learning, 
he was a good public speaker and skilful debater, because 
he thought clearly and convinced those who heard him of 
his honesty and high purpose. Such a man is certain to 
win his way in the world. In due time he was elected to 
Congress, where his interest in various public questions, 
especially that of slavery, became much quickened. 

On this question his clear head and warm heart united 
in forming strong convictions that had great weight with 
the people. He continued to grow in political favor and, 
in 1858, received the nomination of the Republican party 
for the United States Senate. His opponent was Stephen 



THE CIVIL WAR 455 

A. Douglas, known as the " Little Giant," on account of 
his short stature and powerful eloquence as an orator. 

The debates between the two men, preceding the elec- 
tion, were followed with keen interest all over the country. 
Lincoln argued with great power against the spread of 
slavery into the new States, and although he lost the elec- 
tion, he won such favorable notice that two years later a 
greater honor came to him. In 1860, the Republican Na- 
tional Convention, which met at Chicago, nominated him 
as its candidate for President, and a few months later he 
was elected to that office. 

The agitation over slavery was growing more and more 
bitter, and when Lincoln was elected some of the Southern 
States threatened to go out of the Union. They claimed 
that it was their right to decide for themselves whether 
they should secede. On the other hand, the North de- 
clared that no State could secede without the consent of 
the other States. 

Before Lincoln was inaugurated seven of the Southern 
States had carried out their threat to secede, calling them- 
selves the Confederate States of America.* The excite- 
ment everywhere was intense. Many people regretted that 
a man of larger experience than Lincoln had not been chosen 
to be at the head of the government. They were anxious 

* Jefferson Davis was chosen president and Alexander H. Stephens vice- 
president. The seven cotton States hoped that they would be joined by the 
other eight slave States, but only four of these eight seceded. Delaware, 
Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri remained loyal to the Union. 



456 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

lest this plain man of the people, this awkward backwoods- 
man, should not be able to lead the nation in those dark 
and troubled days. But, little as they trusted him, he was 
well fitted for the work that lay before him. 

His inauguration was but a few weeks over when the 
Civil War began. We cannot here pause for full accounts 
of all Lincoln's trials and difficulties in this fearful struggle. 
During those four fateful years, 1861-1865, his burdens 
were almost overwhelming. But, like Washington, he be- 
lieved that "right makes might" and must prevail, and this 
belief sustained him. 

Although his whole nature revolted against slavery, he 
had no power to do away with it in the States where it 
existed, for by his office he was sworn to defend the Con- 
stitution. "My great purpose," he said, "is to save the 
Union, and not to destroy slavery." 

But as the war went on he became certain that the 
slaves, by remaining on the plantations and producing food 
for the Southern soldiers, were aiding the Southern cause. 
He therefore determined to set the slaves free in all the 
territoiy where people were fighting to break up the Union, 
just as far as it was conquered by Union troops. "As com- 
mander-in-chief of the Union armies," he reasoned, "I have 
a right to do this as a war measure." The famous state 
paper in which Lincoln declared that such slaves were 
free was called the Emancipation Proclamation (January 
1, 1863). 



THE CIVIL WAR 



457 



This freeing of a part of the slaves not only hastened 
the end of the war but led, after its close, to the final emanci- 
pation of all the slaves. We should remember that the 
man who did most to 
bring about this result 
was Abraham Lincoln, 
whose name has gone 
down in history as the 
great emancipator. 

Passing over the 
events of the war, which 
we shall consider later 
in connection with its 
great generals, let us 
look ahead two years. 

On April 9, 1865, 
General Lee, as we shall 
see a little later, sur- 
rendered Ins army to 
General Grant at Ap- 
pomattox Court House. 
By this act the war was brought to a close, and there 
was great rejoicing everywhere. 

But suddenly the universal joy was changed into uni- 
versal sorrow, for a shocking thing happened. Five days 
after Lee's surrender, Lincoln went with his wife and friends 
to see a play at Ford's Theatre, in Washington. In the 




Lincoln Visiting Wounded Soldiers. 



458 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

midst of the play, a Southern actor, John Wilkes Booth, 
who was familiar with the theatre, entered the President's 
box, shot him in the back of the head, jumped to the stage, 
and rushed through the wings to the street. There he 
mounted a horse in waiting for him and escaped, soon, how- 
ever, to be hunted down and killed in a barn where he lay in 
hiding. 

The martyr President lingered during the long hours of 
the sad night, tenderly watched by his family and a few 
friends. When, on the following morning, he breathed his 
last, Secretary Stanton said with truth: "Now he belongs 
to the ages." 

The people deeply mourned the loss of him who had 
wisely and bravely led them through four years of heavy 
trial and anxiety. We are all richer because of the life of 
Abraham Lincoln, our countryman, our teacher, our guide, 
and our friend. And the loss to the South w T as even greater 
than to the North. For he w r as not only just but also 
kind and sympathetic; and only he could have saved the 
South from its calamities for years afterward. 

ROBERT E. LEE 

Having followed a few of the leading events in the re- 
markable career of our martyr President, let us turn our 
thoughts to the Civil War, through which it was Lincoln's 
great work to guide us, as a nation. It was a struggle that 
tested the manhood, quite as much as the resources, of the 




1TAP OF THE 

UNITED STATES 

SHOWING 
FIRST ANJ) SECOND SECESSION AR 

and the Four Slave States that did not -*.«—_ 

□ Union Free States. I — lUnion Slaveiioldlng State 

i — i States seceded before April 15, 1861. 

< 1 States seceded after April 15, 1861, 

( — i Territories controlled by the Federal Government. y^Q 

Mountain Area of the South outlined thus; 

ft 50 100 200 300 40 

Scale of Miles. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



159 



warring sections, and each side might well be proud of the 
bravery and skill of its officers and soldiers. Certainly 
each side had among its generals some of the greatest mili- 
tary leaders of all time. 

One of the ablest generals commanding the Confederate 
troops was Robert E. Lee. He was born in Virginia, Jan- 
uary 19, 1807, his father being 
the Revolutionary general known 
as "Light-Horse Harry." Al- 
though the records of his bov- 
hood days are scanty, we know 
that when little Robert was about 
four years old the Lees removed 
from Stratford to Alexandria, in 
order to educate their children. 
Here the boy was prepared for 
West Point Academy, which he entered when he was eigh- 
teen. At this military school he made such a good record 
as a student that he was graduated second in his class. 

Two years later he married Miss Custis, who was a 
great-granddaughter of Mrs. George Washington, and 
through this marriage he shared with his wife the control 
of large property, which included plantations and a number 
of slaves. 

Immediately after leaving West Point, he entered the 
army as an engineer, and during the Mexican War dis- 
tinguished himself for his skill and bravery. A few years 




Robert E. Lee. 



460 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 




Lee's Home at Arlington, Virginia. 



later (1852), he was appointed superintendent of West 
Point Academy, where he remained three years. 

At the outbreak of the Civil War he was so highly es- 
teemed as an officer in the United States army, that he 
would have been appointed commander of the Union 
armies if he had been willing to accept the position. He 
loved the Union, and was opposed to secession, but when 

Virginia, his native 
State, seceded he 
felt that it was his 
dutjr to go with her. 
His struggle in 
making the decision 
was a painful one, 
as was made plain 
in a letter he wrote 
to a sister, then 
living in Baltimore. 
"With all my devotion to the Union," he said, " and the feel- 
ing of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not 
been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against 
my relatives, my children, my home. I know you will blame 
me, but you must think as kindly of me as you can, and 
believe that I have endeavored to do what I thought right." 
Soon after he decided that he must go with Virginia in 
the great struggle which was to follow, he accepted the com- 
mand of the Virginia State forces, and within a year from 



THE CIVIL WAR 



461 



that time became military adviser of Jefferson Davis, who 
was President of the Confederacy. 

In 1862, the second year of the war, Lee took command 
of the leading Confederate army in Virginia. General 
McClellan, who commanded a large Union army, had been 
trying to capture Richmond, the capital of the Confederate 
States. After fighting a series of 
battles, he approached so close to 
Richmond that his soldiers could see 
the spires of the churches. But as 
the city was strongly fortified he re- 
treated to the James River. During 
this retreat, which lasted a week, 
were fought what were known as 
the "Seven Days' Battles." 

Having thus saved Richmond 
from capture, Lee marched north 
into Maryland, expecting the people to rise and join his 
forces. But they were loyal to the Union and refused. 
The terrible battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg was fought 
(September, 1862), and Lee was obliged to retreat to Vir- 




Jefferson Davis. 



gmia. 



A few months later (December, 1862), Lee repulsed an 
attack of the Union army at Fredericksburg with fearful 
slaughter, and in the following May he won a victory at 
Chancellorsville. 



4C2 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



"STONEWALL" JACKSON 




In all these battles Lee's most effective helper was 
General Thomas J. Jackson, " Stonewall" Jackson, as he 

was called. Jackson won his nick- 
name at the battle of Bull Run. One 
of the Confederate generals, who was 
trying to hearten his retreating men, 
cried out to them: "See, there is 
Jackson, standing like a stone wall ! 
Rail}' round the Virginians!" From 
that hour of heroism he was known 
as Stonewall Jackson, and for his 
bravery in this battle he was made a 
major-general. He was such a stubborn fighter, and so 
furious in his enthusiasm that "his soldiers marched to 
death when he bade them. What was 
even harder, they marched at the double- 
quick through Virginia mud, without 
shoes, without food, without sleep." They 
cheerfully did his bidding because they 
loved him. The sight of his old uniform 
and scrawny sorrel horse always stirred 
the hearts of his followers. 

Jackson was a deeply religious man. 
In spirit he was so much of a Puritan that it caused him 
great regret to march or to fight on a Sunday. 




A Confederate Flag. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



463 



He was devoted to Lee and placed the greatest con- 
fidence in him. "He is the only man I would follow blind- 
fold," he said, and on his death-bed he exclaimed: "Better 
that ten Jacksons should fall than one Lee !" 

Stonewall Jackson was shot at the battle of Chancellors- 
ville, but not by the enemy. He and his escort had ridden 
out beyond his line of battle, when, being mistaken for the 
enemy, they were fired upon by some of their own soldiers, 
and Jackson was mortally wounded. 
His death was a great loss to the 
Southern army. 

J. E. B. STUART 

Another of General Lee's very 
able helpers was General Stuart. 
He wrote his name J. E. B. Stuart. 
So his admirers called him "Jeb." 

He was absolutely fearless. "He 
would attack anything anywhere," and he inspired his 
men with the same zeal. He was noted for falling into 
dangerous situations and then cleverly getting himself out. 
His men were used to this. They trusted him completely 
and without question. They loved him, too, for his good 
comradeship. For although he preserved the strictest dis- 
cipline, he frolicked with his officers like a boy, playing at 
snowballs, or marbles, or whatever they chose, and enjoy- 
ing it all heartily. 




J. E. B. Stuart. 



464 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



He was so fond of gay, martial music that he kept 
his banjo-player, Sweeney, always with him, and worked 
in his tent to the cheerful accompaniment of his favorite 







Confederate Soldiers. 



songs, now and then leaning back to laugh and join in the 
choruses. 

His gay spirit found expression also in the clothes he 
wore. Listen to this description of him: "His fighting 
jacket shone with dazzling buttons and was covered with 
gold braid; his hat was looped up with a golden star and 
decorated with a black ostrich plume; his fine buff gaunt- 
lets reached to the elbow; around his waist was tied a 
splendid yellow sash, and his spurs were pure gold." These 
spurs, of which he was immensely proud, were a gift from 
Baltimore women. His battle-flag was a gorgeous red one, 



THE CIVIL WAR 465 

which he insisted upon keeping with him, although it often 
drew the enemy's fire. 

Stuart was very proud of his men and their pluck. He 
knew by name every man in the first brigade. 

It was his strong desire that he might meet his death 
while leading a cavalry charge, and he had his wish. For 
he was struck down near Richmond, in 1864, while he was 
leading an attack against Sheridan. 

He died when he was only thirty-one, deeply mourned 
by all his men. 

GETTYSBURG 

But to return to General Lee. After winning the two 
important battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, 
he decided that he would again invade the North (1863). 
He believed that a great victory north of the Potomac River 
might lead to the capture of Philadelphia and Washington 
and thus end the war. 

Having marched boldly into Pennsylvania, he met the 
Union army, under General Meade, at the little town of 
Gettysburg, not far from the southern border of the State. 
There for three days the most terrible battle of the war, and 
in its results, one of the greatest battles of all history, took 
place. After three days of righting, in which the loss on 
both sides was fearful, Lee was defeated and forced to 
retreat to Virginia. 

The defeat of Lee's army at Gettysburg was a crushing 



466 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



f i -rAi^ 



blow to the hopes of the South. Lee himself felt this to 
be true. And, grieving over the heavy loss of his men in 
the famous Pickett's Charge, he said to one of his generals: 
"All this has been my fault. It is I that have lost this 

fight, and you must 
help me out of it the 
best you can." 

But even in the 
face of this defeat his 
officers and soldiers 
still trusted their 
commander. They 
said: "Uncle Robert 
will get us into Wash- 
ington yet." 

But the surrender 
of another division of 
the army, fighting 
far away on the Mississippi Paver, added defeat to dafeat. 
For the day following the battle of Gettysburg, General 
Grant captured Vicksburg, the greatest Confederate strong- 
hold on the Mississippi River. The South could no longer 
hope for victory. 




Union Soldiers. 



ULYSSES S. GRANT 



Before going on with the story of the war, let us pause 
for a little in order to catch a glimpse of Ulysses S. Grant, 



THE CIVIL WAR 



407 



the remarkable man who was the greatest general that the 
North produced throughout the war. 

He was born in a humble dwelling at Point Pleasant, 
Ohio, in April, 1822. The year following his birth the 
family removed to Georgetown, Ohio, where they lived 
man)' years. 

The father of Ulysses was a farmer and manufacturer 
of leather. The boy did not like the leather business, but 
he did like work on the farm. When 
only seven years old, he hauled all 
the wood which was needed in the 
home and at the leather factory 
from the forest, a mile from the 
village. 

From the age of eleven to seven- 
teen, according to his own story as 
v told in his "Personal Memoirs," he 
ploughed the soil, cultivated the 
growing corn and potatoes, sawed fire-wood, and did any 
other work a farmer boy might be expected to do. He 
had his good times also, fishing, swimming in the creek 
not far from his home, driving about the country, and 
skating with other boys. 

He liked horses, and early became a skilful rider. A 
story is told of him which indicates not only that he was 
a good horseman, but that he had "bulldog grit" as well. 
One day when he was at a circus, the manager offered a 




Ulysses S. Grant. 



468 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



silver dollar to any one who could ride a certain mule 
around the ring. Several persons, one after the other, 
mounted the animal, only to be thrown over its head. 
Young Ulysses was among those who offered to ride, but, 
like the others, he failed. Then, pulling off his coat, he got 
on the animal again. Putting his legs firmly around the 

mule's body and 
seizing it by the 
tail, Ulysses rode in 
triumph around the 
ring amid the cheers 
of the crowd. 

Although he 
cared little for 
study, his father 
wished to give him 
all the advantages of a good education and secured for 
him an appointment to West Point. After graduating, 
he wished to leave the army and become an instructor in 
mathematics at his alma mater. But, as the Mexican War 
broke out about that time, he entered active service. Soon 
he gave striking evidence of that fearless bravery for which 
he was later to become noted on the battle-fields of the 
Civil War. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Grant resigned from 
the army and engaged in farming and business until the 
outbreak of the Civil War. 




Grant's Birthplace, Point Pleasant, Ohio. 



THE CIVIL WAR 469 

With the news that the Southern troops had fired on 
the flag at Fort Sumter, Grant's patriotism was aroused. 
Without delay he rejoined the army and at once took an 
active part in getting ready for the war. First as colonel, 
and then as brigadier-general, he led his troops, and his 
powers as a leader quickly developed. 

The first of his achievements was the capture of Forts 
Henry and Donelson, in Tennessee, the centre of a strong 
Confederate line of defense. At Fort Donelson he received 
the surrender of nearly fifteen thousand prisoners, and by 
his great victory compelled the Confederates to abandon two 
of their important strongholds, Columbus and Nashville. 

After the loss of Fort Donelson the Confederates fell 
back to a second line of defense and took position at Cor- 
inth. General Grant's army was at Pittsburgh Landing, 
eighteen miles away; not far off was the village of Shiloh, 
from which the battle is now generally named. Here, early 
on Sunday morning (April 6, 1862), Grant was attacked 
by Johnston, and his men were driven back a mile and a 
half toward the river. 

It was a fearful battle, lasting until nearly dark. Not 
until after midnight was Grant able to rest, and then, sit- 
ting in the rain, with his back against the foot of a tree, 
he slept a few hours before the renewal of battle on Mon- 
day morning. W^ith reinforcements he was able on the 
second day to drive the enemy off the field and win a signal 
victorv. 



470 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



By this battle Grant broke the Confederates' second 
line of defense. Although they fought bravely and well to 
prevent the Union troops from getting control of the Missis- 
sippi River, by the close of 1862 the South had lost every 

stronghold on the river 
except Port Hudson 
and Vicksburg. 

Vicksburg was so 
strongly defended that 
the Confederates be- 
lieved that it could not 
be taken. A resolute 
effort to capture it was 
made by General Grant 
in 1863. After a bril- 
liant campaign of strat- 
egy, by which he got 
around the defenses, he 
laid siege to the city 
itself. For seven weeks 
the Confederate army 
held out. During that 
time the people of Vicksburg sought refuge from the enemy's 
shells in caves and cellars, their only food at times consist- 
ing of rats and mule flesh. But on July 4, 1863, the day 
after General Lee's defeat at Gettysburg, Vicksburg sur- 
rendered to General Grant. Four days later Port Hudson, 



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4 


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^uSLjJ^B 


I^^A0f^H 




*"****"~*-*--~-<— ~ , — ^^QbHmnB 



General and Mrs. Grant with Their Son at 
City Point, Virginia. 



THE CIVIL WAR 471 

some distance below, was captured, and thus the last 
stronghold of the Mississippi came under control of the 
North. 

General Grant had become the hero of the Northern 
army. His success was in no small measure due to his 
dogged perseverance. While his army was laying siege to 
Vicksburg, a Confederate woman, at whose door he stopped 
to ask for a drink of water, inquired whether he expected 
ever to capture Vicksburg. "Certainly," he replied. "But 
when?" was the next question. Quickly came the answer: 
"I cannot tell exactly when I shall take the town, but I 
mean to stay here till I do, if it takes me thirty years." 

General Grant having by his capture of Vicksburg won 
the confidence of the people, President Lincoln, in 1864, 
put him in command of all the Union armies of the East 
and the West. In presenting the new commission, Lincoln 
addressed him in these words: "As the country herein 
trusts you, so, under God, it will sustain you." 

WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN 

In the spring of that year the Confederates had two 
large armies in the field. One of them, under General Lee, 
was defending Richmond. The other, under General Joseph 
E. Johnston, was in Tennessee, defending the Confederate 
cause in that region. General Grant's plan was to send 
General Sherman, in whom he had great confidence, against 
General Johnston, with orders to capture Atlanta, which 



472 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



VJ 



was now the workshop and storehouse of the Confederacy. 
Grant himself was to march against Lee and capture Rich- 
mond. The two great watchwords were : "On to Atlanta!" 
and "On to Richmond!" 

Early in May both Grant and Sherman began their 
campaigns. Starting from Chattanooga, in Tennessee, Sher- 
man began to crowd Johnston to- 
ward Atlanta. In order to keep his 
line of supplies open from Nashville 
Sherman kept his army close to the 
railroad, and to hinder him as much 
as possible, the Confederates sent 
JW back bodies of troops to the rear of 
the Union army to tear up the rail- 
roads. But so quickly were they 
wiiiiam Tecumseh Sherman. re b u ilt by Sherman's men that the 

Confederates used to say: "Sherman must carry a railroad 
on his back." His advance was slow but steady, and on 
September 2 he captured Atlanta. 

A little later Sherman started on his famous march 
"From Atlanta to the Sea," with the purpose of weakening 
the Confederate armies by destroying their supplies and 
their railroads in Southern Georgia. His army marched in 
four columns, covering a belt of territory sixty miles wide. 
Four days before Christmas he captured Savannah and sent 
to President Lincoln the famous telegram: "I beg to pre- 
sent you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 




THE CIVIL WAR 



473 



one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition; 
also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." Sher- 
man's "March to the Sea" was a wonderful achievement. 
Let us make the acquaintance of this remarkable man. 
He was at this time forty-four. Standing six feet high, 




Sherman's March to the Sea. 



with muscles of iron and a military bearing, he gave the 
impression of having great physical endurance. And no 
matter whether he was exposed to drenching rain, bitter 
cold, or burning heat, he never gave signs of fatigue. Many 
nights he slept only three or four hours, but he was able 
to fall asleep easily almost anywhere he happened to be, 
whether lying upon the wet ground or on a hard floor, or 
even amid the din and roar of muskets and cannon. 

In battle he could not sit calmly smoking and looking 



474 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



on, like General Grant. He was too much excited to sit 
still, and his face reflected his thoughts. Yet his mind was 
clear and his decisions were rapid. 

His soldiers admired him and gave him their unbounded 
confidence. One of his staff said of him while they were 
on the "March to the Sea" : "The army has such an abiding 




MAP ILLUSTRATING 

SHERMAN'S MARCH 

TO THE SEA. 

Scale or Miles. 
B5 50 75 10 O 

H the M. n. co. 7"°, 



Route of Sherman's March to the Sea. 



faith in its leader that it will go wherever he leads." At 
Savannah the soldiers would proudly remark as their general 
rode by: "There goes the old man. All's right." 

During the trying experience of this famous march, 
Sherman's face grew anxious and care-worn. But behind 
the care-worn face there were kind and tender feelings, 
especially for the young. Little children would show their 
trust in him by clasping him about his knees or by nestling 
in his arms. While he was in Savannah, large groups of 



THE CIVIL WAR 475 

children made a playground of the general's headquarters 
and private room, the doors of which were never closed 
to them. 

While General Sherman, in Georgia, was pushing his 
army "On to Atlanta" and "On to the Sea," Grant was 
trying to defeat Lee and capture Richmond. With these 
aims in view, Grant crossed the Rapidan River and entered 
the wilderness in direct line for Richmond. Here fighting 
was stern business. The woods were so gloomy and the 
underbrush was so thick that the men could not see one 
another twenty feet away. 

Lee's army furiously contested every foot of the advance. 
In the terrible battles that followed Grant lost heavily, 
but he pressed doggedly on, writing to President Lincoln 
his stubborn resolve: "I propose to fight it out on this line 
if it takes all summer." 

It did take all summer and longer. Moreover, Grant 
found that he could not possibly capture Richmond from 
the north. So he crossed the James River and attacked 
the city from the south. Yet when autumn ended Lee was 
still holding out, and Grant's army settled down for the 
winter. 

PHILIP H. SHERIDAN 

At this time one of Grant's most skilful generals and 
ablest helpers was Philip H. Sheridan, who was a brilliant 
cavalry leader. As a boy he had a strong liking for books, 



476 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



and especially those which told of war and the lives of 
daring men. When he read of their brave deeds perhaps 
he dreamed of the days when he might be a great soldier. 
At the time when he came into most prominent notice 
— in the summer and autumn of 1864 — he was only thirty- 
three years old. He was short, and as he weighed but one 

hundred and fifteen pounds, he was 
not at all impressive in appear- 
ance, except in the heat of battle, 
when his personality was com- 
manding and inspiring. 

No matter how trying the situ- 
ation might be, he never lost self- 
control and was always kind and 
friendly toward those working with 
him. But perhaps his finest quality 
was a stern devotion to duty. He said, in effect: "In all 
the various positions I have held, my sole aim has ever 
been to be the best officer I could and let the future take 
care of itself." Such a man, whether civilian or soldier, is 
a true patriot. 

It was early in August, 1864, that General Grant placed 
Sheridan in command of the Union army in the Shenan- 
doah valley, with orders to drive the enemy out and destroy 
their food supplies. 

Sheridan entered the valley from the north, destroyed 
large quantities of supplies, and after some fighting went 




Philip H. Sheridan. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



477 



into camp on the north side of Cedar Creek, in October. 
A few days later he was called to Washington. Returning 
on the eighteenth, he stayed overnight at Winchester, about 
fourteen miles from 
Cedar Creek. 

About six o'clock 
the next morning, a 
picket on duty re- 
ported to him be- 
fore he was up that 
cannon were being 
fired in the direc- 
tion of Cedar Creek. 
At first Sheridan 
paid little attention. 
Then he began to 
be disturbed. He writes: "I tried to go to sleep again, 
but grew so restless that I could not and soon got up and 
dressed myself." Eating a hurried breakfast, he mounted 
his splendid coal-black steed, Rienzi, and started for the 
battle-field of Cedar Creek, where his army was. This was 
the ride that afterward became famous as " Sheridan's Ride." 

As he rode forward he could hear the booming of can- 
non. Then he saw a part of his army in full retreat, and 
fugitives told him that a battle had been fought against 
General Early's Confederates and everything lost. 

With two aides and twenty men the gallant Sheridan 




Sheridan Rallying His Troops. 



478 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

dashed forward to the front as fast as his foaming steed 
could carry him. On meeting a retreating officer who said, 
"The army is whipped," Sheridan replied: "You are, but 
the army isn't." 

As he pushed ahead he said to his soldiers: "If I had 
been with you this morning this disaster would not have 
happened. We must face the other way. We must go 
back and recover our camp." 

As soon as his troops caught sight of "Little Phil," as 
they liked to call him, they threw their hats into the air 
and, with enthusiastic cheers, shouldered their muskets and 
faced about. Sheridan brought order out of confusion 
and in the battle that followed drove Early's army from the 
field in utter rout. 

Great was the rejoicing in the North over this victory, 
and Sheridan himself was raised to the rank of major- 
general. 

This victory was largely due to Sheridan's magnetic 
influence over his men. The following incident illustrates 
this remarkable power of "Little Phil": At the battle of 
Five Forks, which took place near Richmond the next 
spring (1865), a wounded soldier in the line of battle near 
Sheridan stumbled and was falling behind his regiment. 
But when Sheridan cried out, "Never mind, my man; 
there's no harm done!" the soldier, although with a bul- 
let in his brain, went forward with his fighting comrades 
till he fell dead. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



471) 



TWO GREAT GENERALS 

Let us now return to Grant. After remaining near 
Petersburg all winter, in the spring of 1865 he pressed so 
hard upon the Confederate army that Lee had to leave 
.Richmond and move rapidly westward in order to escape 
capture. For a week Grant closely followed Lee's troops, 
who were almost starving; all they had to eat was parched 
corn and green shoots of trees, and the outlook was so dark 
that many had deserted 
and started for home. 

There was but one thing 
left for Lee to do. That 
was to give up the struggle, 
for he knew the Southern 
cause was hopeless. An 
interview, therefore, was 
arranged with Grant. It 
was held on Sunday morning, April 9, in a house standing 
in the little village of Appomattox Court House. 

Grant writes in his "Personal Memoirs": "I was with- 
out a sword, as I usually was when on horse-back on the 
field, and wore a soldier's blouse for a coat, with the 
shoulder-straps of my rank to indicate to the army 
who I was. . . . General Lee was dressed in a full uni- 
form, which was entirely new, and was wearing a sword 
of considerable value — very likely the sword which had 




The McLean House, Where Lee 
Surrendered. 



480 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



been presented by the State of Virginia. ... In my 
rough travelling suit, the uniform of a private with the 
straps of a lieutenant-general, I must have contrasted very 




The Country Around Washington and Richmond. 

strangely with a man so handsomely dressed, six feet tall, 
and of faultless form." 

The result of the interview was the surrender of General 
Lee and his army. When this took place General Grant 
showed clearly his great kindness of heart and his delicate 
feeling. He issued orders that all the Confederates who 
owned horses and mules should be allowed to take them 
home. "They will need them for the spring ploughing," 



THE CIVIL WAR 481 

he said. He also had abundant food at once sent to the 
hungry Confederate soldiers. Never did General Grant ap- 
pear more truly great than on the occasion of Lee's surrender. 

He was indeed a remarkable man in many ways. While 
in the army he seemed to have wonderful powers .of endur- 
ance. He said of himself : " Whether I slept on the ground 
or in a tent, whether I slept one hour or ten in the twenty- 
four, whether I had one meal or three, or none, made no 
difference. I would lie down and sleep in the rain without 
caring." This, as you remember, he did at Pittsburg 
Landing.' 

Yet his appearance did not indicate robust health. He 
was only five feet eight inches tall, round-shouldered, and 
not at all military in bearing or walk. But his brown hair, 
blue eyes, and musical voice gave a pleasing impression. 
He was of a sunny disposition and of singularly pure mind. 
Never in his life was he known to speak an unclean word 
or tell an objectionable story. In manner he was quiet and 
simple, and yet he was always ready for the severest ordeal 
he might have to face. 

While the two great commanders, Grant and Lee, were 
much unlike in personal appearance, they had certain qual- 
ities in common, for they were both simple-hearted and 
frank and men of deep and tender feelings. 

April 9 was a sad day for General Lee. As he stepped 
out of the door of the house where the terms of surrender 
had been agreed upon and stood in silence, waiting for his 



482 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



horse to be brought to him, he clasped his hands together 
as if in deep pain and looked far away into the distance. 
Then, mounting his steed, he rode back to the Confederate 
camp, where his officers and men awaited his coming. 

On his approach they 
crowded about their be- 
loved chief in their 
eagerness to touch him, 
or even his horse. Look- 
ing upon his veteran 
soldiers for the last time, 
Lee said, with saddened 
voice: "We have fought 
through the war to- 

General Lee on His Horse, Traveller. 

gether; I have done the 
best I could for you. My heart is too full to say more." 
Then he silently rode off to his tent. 

These simple, heartfelt words to his "children," as he 
called his soldiers, were like the man who spoke them. 
For during the entire war he was always simple in his habits. 
Rarely did he leave his tent to sleep in a house, and often 
his diet consisted of salted cabbage only. He thought it 
a* luxury to have sweet potatoes and buttermilk. 

The gentleness and kindness of General Lee was seen 
also in his fondness for animals. When the war was over 
his iron-gray horse, Traveller, which had been his faithful 
companion throughout the struggle, was very dear to him. 




THE CIVIL WAR 483 

Often, when entering the gate on returning to his house, 
he would turn aside to stroke the noble creature, and often 
the two wandered forth into the mountains, companions to 
the last. 

Within a year after the close of the war General Lee 
was elected President of Washington College, at Lexing- 
ton, Virginia— now called Washington and Lee University. 
There he remained until his death, in 1870. His country- 
men, in all sections of the Union, think of him as a dis- 
tinguished general and a high-minded gentleman. 

Three years after the close of the war (1868) General 
Grant was elected President of the United States and 
served two terms. Upon retiring from the presidency, he 
made a tour around the world, a more unusual thing in 
those days than now. He was everywhere received, by 
rulers and people alike, with marked honor and distinction. 

His last days were full of suffering from an illness which 
proved a worse enemy than ever he had found on the field 
of battle. After nine months of brave struggle, he died on 
July 23, 1885. Undoubtedly he was one of the ablest 
generals of history. 

The war, in which these two distinguished commanders 
had led opposing sides, had cost the nation not only thou- 
sands of men, the vast majority in the prime of their young 
manhood, but millions of dollars. But it had two striking 
results: it preserved the Union, for it was now clear that 
no State could secede at will; and it put an end to slavery. 



484 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

The Emancipation Proclamation had set free only those 
slaves in the States and parts of States which were under 
the control of Union armies; but after the war the Thir- 
teenth Amendment set free all the slaves in all the States 
in the Union for all time. These were the benefits pur- 
chased by the terrible sacrifice of life. 

If we count those who were slain on the field of battle 
and those who died from wounds, disease, and suffering in 
wretched prisons, the loss of men was equal to seven hun- 
dred a day during the four long years of the war. 

When it was over, a wave of intense relief swept over 
the country. In many homes were glad reunions; in others, 
saddened memories. But at least a united nation was 
cause for a new hope, and a patriotism which in time was 
to bind all sections into closer union. 

Some Things to Think About 

1. Tell what you can about Lincoln's early life. What kind of boy 

was he ? 

2. What was the Emancipation Proclamation? Why did not Lin- 

coln set the slaves free when he became President? What 
do you admire about him? 

3. Why did Lee go with Virginia when this State seceded? 

4. Tell as much as you can about Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Sherman, 

and Sheridan. 

5. What kind of boy was Grant? What kind of man? What do 

you admire about him? 

6. What were some of the important results of the Civil War? 

7. When did this war begin, and when did it end? 

8. Are you locating every event upon the map? 



CHAPTER' XXXIX 

FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES 
COTTON 

Thus far we have been considering mainly the men 
engaged in exploration, in invention, or in the great national 
struggles through which our country has passed. But 
while only a small fraction of the people, as a rule, take an 
active and prominent part in the stirring events of history, 
many more work hard and faithfully to furnish all with 
food, clothing, and other things needful in every-day living. 
What these many laborers accomplish in the fields of indus- 
try, therefore, has a most important bearing upon the life 
and work of men, leaders and followers alike, in other fields 
of action. With this thought in mind, let us take a brief 
glance at a few of our great industries. 

First, go with me in thought to the South, where the 
cotton, from which we make much of our clothing, is raised. 
Owing to the favorable climate of the Southern States, 
it being warm and moist, the United States produces more 
cotton and cotton of a better quality than any other coun- 
try in the world. 

No crop, it is said, is so beautiful as growing cotton. 
The plants are low, with dark-green leaves, the flowers, 

485 



486 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



which are yellow at first, changing by degrees to white, 
and then to deep pink. The cotton-fields look like great 
flower-gardens. 

As the blossoms die they are replaced by the young 
bolls, or pods, which contain the seeds. From the seeds 

grow long vegetable 
hairs, which form 
white locks in the 
pods. These fibres 
are the cotton. When 
the pods become 
ripe and open, the 
cotton bursts out and 
covers them with a 
puff of soft, white 
down. 

The height of the 
picking season is in 
October. As no sat- 
isfactory machine for picking cotton has been invented, 
it is usually done by hand, and negroes for the most part 
are employed. Lines of pickers pass between the rows, 
gathering the down and crowding it into wide-mouthed 
sacks hanging from their shoulders or waists. At the ends 
of the rows are great baskets, into which the sacks are emp- 
tied, and then the cotton is loaded into wagons which carry 
it to the gin-house. 





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Cotton-Field in Blossom. 



FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES' 487 

If damp, the cotton is dried in the sun. The saw-teeth 
of the cotton-gin, as we have seen, separate the cotton 
fibre from the seeds. Then the cotton is pressed down by 
machine presses and packed into bales, each usually con- 
taining five hundred pounds, after which it is sent to the 
factory. 

Various processes are employed to free the cotton from 
dirt and to loosen the lumps. When it is cleaned, it is 
rolled out into thin sheets and taken to the carding-machine. 
This, with other machines, prepares the cotton to be spun 
into yarn, which is wound off on large reels. The yarn is 
then ready to be either twisted into thread or woven into 
cloth on the great looms. 

The United States produces an average of eleven mil- 
lion bales of cotton every year, and this is nearly sixty-seven 
per cent of the production of the whole world. Cotton is 
now the second crop in the United States, the first being 
Indian corn. 

WHEAT 

Another great industry is the growing of wheat, which 
is the foundation of much of our food. Wheat is a very 
important grain and is extensively cultivated. 

There are a great many varieties, the two main kinds 
found in the United States being the large-kernel winter 
wheat, grown in the East, and the hard spring wheat, 
the best for flour-making, which is grown in the West. 






488 



LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 



Minnesota is the largest wheat-producing State, and I 
will ask you to go in thought with me to that Middle- West 
region. The farms there are very level, and also highly 
productive. The big "bonanza" farms, as they are called, 
range in size from two thousand to ten thousand acres. 










A Wheat-Field. 



Some of these are so large that even on level ground one 
cannot look entirely across them — so large, indeed, that 
laborers working at opposite ends do not see one another 
for months at a time. 

During the planting and harvesting seasons temporary 
laborers come from all over the country. They are well 
housed and well fed. The farms are divided into sections, 
and each section has its own lodging-house, dining-hall, 
barns, and so on. Even then, dinner is carried to the 
workers in the field, because they are often a mile or two 



FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES 



4by 



from the dining-hall. The height of the harvest season 
is at the end of July. 

In the autumn, after the wheat has been harvested, the 
straw is burned and the land is ploughed. In the following 
April when the soil is dry enough to harrow, the seeds, after 
being carefully selected 
and thoroughly cleaned, 
are planted. For the 
harvesting a great deal 
of new machinery is 
purchased every year. 
One of these huge ma- 
chines can cut and stack 
in one day the grain 
from a hundred acres of 
land. Then the grain is 
threshed at once in the 
field, before the rain 
can do it harm. 

Through the spout 
of the thresher the grain 
falls into the box wagon, which carries it to the grain- 
elevator, or building for storing grain. Here it remains 
until it is loaded automatically into the cars, which take it 
to the great elevator centres. The wheat is not touched 
by hands from the time it passes into the thresher until it 
reaches private kitchens in the form of flour. 




Grain-Elevators at Buffalo. 



490 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

The great elevator centres are Duluth, St. Paul, Min- 
neapolis, Chicago, and Buffalo. Some elevators in these 
centres can store as much as a million or more bushels each. 
They are built of steel and equipped with steam-power or 
electricity. The wheat is taken from grain-laden vessels 
or cars, carried up into the elevator, and deposited in va- 
rious bins, according to its grade. On the opposite side of 
the elevator the wheat is reloaded into cars or canal-boats. 

In 1914 the United States produced nine hundred and 
thirty million bushels, or between one-fourth and one-fifth 
of all the wheat produced in the world. 

CATTLE-RAISING 

The third great industry is that of cattle-raising. To 
find the ranches we will go a little farther west, perhaps to 
Kansas. A wide belt stretching westward from the one- 
hundredth meridian to the foot-hills of the Rocky Moun- 
tains is arid land. It includes parts of Texas, Kansas, 
Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. 
Although the rainfall here is mostly too light to grow corn 
and wheat without irrigation, these dry plains have suf- 
ficient growth to support great herds of sheep and cattle, 
and supply us with a large part of our beef. Cattle by the 
hundred thousand feed on these vast unfenced regions. 

On the great ranches of this belt, which, we are told, are 
fast disappearing, there are two important round-ups of 
the cattle every year. Between times they roam free over 



FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES 



491 



vast areas of land. In the spring they are driven slowly 
toward a central point. Then the calves are branded, or 
marked by a hot iron, with the owner's special brand. 
These brands are registered and are recognized by law. 
This is done in order that each owner may be certain of 
his own cattle. In July or August the cattle are rounded 




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Cattle oa the Western Plains. 



up again, and this time the mature and fatted animals are 
selected that they may be driven to the shipping-station on 
the railroad and loaded on the cars. 

The journey to the stock-yards often requires from four 
to seven days. Once in about thirty hours the cattle are 
released from the cars in order to be fed and watered. Then 
the journey begins again. 

At the stock-yards the cattle are unloaded and driven 
into pens. From there the fat steers and cows are sent 
directly to market. The lean ones go to farmers in the 



492 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

Middle West who make a specialty of fattening them for 
market, doing it in a few weeks. 

In the year 1910 there were ninety-six million six hun- 
dred and fifty-eight thousand cattle in the United States. 
This means that there was one for every human being in 
the whole country. But the number of beef-cattle is de- 
creasing, as the larger ranches where they graze are dis- 
appearing, as we have said, and are being divided into 
small farms. 

COAL , 

By means of these three industries — cotton, wheat, and 
cattle — we are provided with food and clothing. But be- 
sides these necessaries, we must have fuel. We need it both 
for heat in our households and for running most of our en- 
gines in factories and on trains. Our chief fuel is coal 

• To see coal-mining, western Pennsylvania is a good 
place for us to visit. Were you to go into a mine there 
you might easily imagine yourself in a different world. 
In descending the shaft you suddenly become aware that 
you are cut off from beautiful sunlight and fresh air. You 
find that to supply these every-day benefits, which you 
have come to accept as commonplace, there are ventilating 
machines working to bring down the fresh air from above, 
and portable lamps, which will not cause explosion, to supply 
light, and that, where there is water, provision has been 
made for drainage. 



FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES 



493 



The walls of the mine, also, have to be strongiy sup- 
ported, in order that they may not fall and crush the 
workers or fill up the shaft. In deep-shaft mines, coal is 
carried to the surface by cages hoisted through the shaft. 
It is sorted and cleaned above ground. 

One of the largest uses of coal is found in the factories 
where numerous articles of iron and steel are made. The 




Iron Smelters. 

world of industry depends so much upon iron that it is 
called the metal of civilization. 

The iron and coal industries are closely related, for coal 
is used to make iron into steel. If you stay in Pennsylvania 
you may catch a glimpse of the process by which iron is 
made usable. 

As it comes from the mine it is not pure, but is mixed 
with ore from which it must be separated. In the regions 



494 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

of iron-mines you will see towering aloft here and there 
huge chimneys, or blast-furnaces, at times sending forth 
great clouds of black smoke and at times lighting the sky 
with the lurid glow of flames. In these big blast-furnaces, 
the iron ore and coal are piled in layers. Then a very hot 
fire is made, so hot that the iron melts and runs down into 
moulds of sand, where it is collected. This process is called 
smelting. 

The iron thus obtained, though pure, is not hard enough 
for most purposes. It must be made into steel. Steel, 
you understand, is iron which has again been melted and 
combined with a small amount of carbon to harden it. 

At first this was an expensive process, but during the 
last century ways of making steel were discovered which 
greatly lowered its cost. As a result, steel took the place 
of iron in many ways, the most important being in the 
manufacture of rails for our railroad systems. Since steel 
rails are stronger than iron, they make it possible to use 
larger locomotives and heavier trains, and permit a much 
higher rate of speed and more bulky traffic. All this 
means, as you can easily see, cheaper and more rapid 
transportation, which is so important in all our industrial 
life. 

Steel has an extensive use, also, in the structure of 
bridges, of large buildings, of steamships and war vessels, 
as well as in the making of heating equipment, tools, house- 
hold utensils, and hundreds of other articles which we are 



FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES 



495 



constantly using in our daily life. If you should write down 
all the uses for this metal which you can think of ; you would 
be surprised at the length of your list. 

These four great industries give us a little idea of how 
men make use of the products of the farm, the mine, and the 
factory in supplying human needs. Each fulfils its place, 




Iron Ore Ready for Shipment. 

and we are dependent upon all. That means that we are 
all dependent upon one another. There would be little in 
life for any one if he were to do without all that others have 
done for him. 

There is something which each member of a community 
can do to make life better for others. If he does this will- 
ingly and well, he co-operates with his fellow men and as- 
sists in the great upbuilding of the nation. And the amount 



496 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 

of service the man or woman, boy or girl can render those 
about him is the measure of his worth to his neighborhood, 
his State, or his country. 

It is good for us to ask ourselves this question : How can 
I be helpful in the community where I live, which has .done 
so much for me ? If we try to give faithful service, working 
cheerfully with others, we are truly patriotic. Are you a 
patriot ? 

Some Things to Think About 

1. What are the four great industries taken up in this chapter? Can 

you tell in what ways each of these is of special value to us? 

2. Use your map in locating the cotton region; the wheat-growing 

region; the cattle-raising region. 

3. In what ways are coal, iron, and steel especially useful ? 

4. How are we all dependent upon one another? How may we be 

truly patriotic? 

The End 



INDEX 



Acaiuans, 196-198 
Adams, John, 230, 231 
Adams, Samuel, 219-232, 236, 241 
Alamo, 415-417 
Albany, 117, 119 
Algonquin Indians, 18 
Amsterdam, New, 119, 124 
Anna, Santa, 415, 418 
Antietam, battle of, 461 
Appomattox Court House, Lee's sur- 
render at, 457 
Asia, European trade with, 1-3, 5 
Atlanta, capture of, 472 

Backwoodsmen, life among, 314-320 

Balboa, 30, 31 

Baltimore, Lord, 87 

Barlow, Joel, 394 

Bon Homme Richard (bo-nom-re- 

shar), 295-297 
Boone, Daniel, 298-310 
Boone, Squire, 302 
Boston, 108 

"Boston Tea Party," 225-229 
Braddock, General, 194-196 
Bradford, William, 99 
Brandywine Creek, 268 
Brewster, William, 93 
Bull Run, battle of, 462 
Bunker Hill, battle of, 245-248 
Burgoyne (ber-goin), General, his 

invasion, 267-270 

Cabinet, the President's, 360 

Cabot, John, 15, 16 

Calhoun, John C, 429-431, 439, 440, 

443, 444 
Camden, battle of, 278 



Carson, Kit, 420, 421 

Cartier, 55-57 

Carver, John, 97, 105 

Catholic missionaries, 158, 159 

Catholics, 121, 122 

Cattle-raising, 490-492 

Cedar Creek, battle of, 477, 478 

Cherokee Indians, 304, 328, 333, 412- 

414 
Church, Captain, 176 
Civil War, 454-484 
Clark, George Rogers, 336-353 
Clark, William, 379-3S4 
Clay, Henry, 431-435, 439, 442, 443 , 

444 
Clermont, 395-397 
Clinton, De Witt, 400 
Coal, 490, 491 
Colonies become States, 256 
Columbus, Christopher, 4-14 
Compromise, Missouri, 43S, 43£ 
Compromise of 1850, 442-444 
Concord, battle of, 240-244 
Confederate States of America, or- 
ganization of, 455 
Congress, Continental, first meeting 

of, 230-232; second meeting of, 245 
Congress, United States, 273, 358, 

409, 410, 441 
Connecticut, 112-115 
Continental Army, 245 
Cornwallis, General, 264, 266, 275, 

284-289 
Cortez, 36-41 
Cotton, 485-489 
Cotton-gin, invention of, 362, 363, 

438 
Cowpsns, battle of, 284 



497 



498 



INDEX 



Creek Indians, 388, 413 

Crusades, 1 

Custis, Mrs. Martha, 250 

Da Gama, Vasco, 4 

Dale, Sir Thomas, 80, 81 

Davenport, John, 114 , 

Davis, Jefferson, 445, 451 

Dawes, William, 237, 239, 241 

Declaration of Independence, 255, 256 

Deerfield, attack on, 182 

Delaware, Lord, 79, 80 

De Leon, 48-50 

De Soto, 44, 50-54 

Diego, 6, 7 

Donelson, Fort, 469 

Dorchester Heights, 254 

Douglas, Stephen A., 454 

Drake, Sir Francis, 58-62 

Duquesne, Fort, 191, 198 

Dustin, Hannah, 181 

Dutch, the, 116-129 

Early, General, at Cedar Creek, 

477 
Elizabeth, Queen, 64-66 
Emancipation Proclamation, 456, 484 
Erie Canal, 399-402 

Fairfax, Lord, 188 

Ferdinand, 6, 12 

Ferguson, Major, 332 

Fitch, John, 392 

Flatboat, 375, 391 

Florida, purchase of, 389, 390 

France aids the Americans, 270 

Franklin, Benjamin, 191-193, 256, 

270 
Fremont, John C, 418-424 
French villages, old, life in, 344, 345 
French War, last, 184-204 
Fulton, Robert, 392-397 

Gage, General, 230, 234-236 
Gates, General, 278 
George III, 205, 206, 214, 222-224, 
229, 244, 264 



Georgia, 136-139 

Gettysburg, battle of, 465, 466 

Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 65 

Gold, discovery of, in California, 425- 

428 
Grant, Ulysses S., 466-472, 475, 476, 

479-481, 483 
Greene, Nathanael, 277-290 
Grenville, Sir Richard, 65 
Griffin, 164-166 
Guilford Court House, battle of, 288 

Hale, Nathan, 260-262 

Half Moon, 116 

Hamilton, Alexander, 360, 361 

Hamilton, Colonel, 347, 348, 353 

Hancock, John, 235, 236, 241 

Hartford, 114 

Haverhill, attack on, 180, 181 

Hayne, Senator, 441 

Henderson, Richard, 304 

Henry, Fort, 469 

Henry, Patrick, 208-217, 251, 338, 

370, 371 
Hessians, 264-266 
Hooker, Thomas, 112-114 
Houston, Sam, 412-418 
Howe, General, 245, 246, 254, 255, 

257, 268 
Hudson, Henry, 116-118 
Hudson River, 116 
Hutchinson, Governor, 225, 226, 228 

Inca ; the, 42-46 
Indented servants, 84 
Independence of the United States, 

289 
Indians, 18-29, 73-76, 81-83, 88, 89, 

125, 126, 172-184 
Iron, 493-195 
Iroquois Indians, 18, 122 
Isabella, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14 

Jackson, Andrew, 384-389, 413, 

414, 441 
Jackson, Thomas J. ("Stonewall"), 

462, 463 



INDEX 



499 



Jamestown, 72 

Jav, John, 361 

Jefferson, Thomas, 256, 368-376 

Johnson, Sir William, 198 

Johnston, Albert Sidney, 469 

Johnston, Joseph E., 471, 472 

Joliet, 160 

Jones, John Paul, 291-297 

Kaskaskia (Kas-kas'-ki-a), 340-344 

Kentucky, 300-309 

King Philip's War, 175, 176 

King's Mountain, battle of, 332, 333 

Knox, Henry, 266, 360 

La Fayette (La-fa-yet), 271-273 

Lane, Ralph, 65, 66 

La Salle, 163-171 

Last French War, 184-204 

Lee, Robert E., 457-461, 479-483 

Lewis and Clark's expedition, 379- 

383 
Lewis, Meriwether, 379-383 
Lexington, battle of, 240, 241 
Lincoln, Abraham, 447-454; and 
slavery, 454-456; and the Emanci- 
pation Proclamation, 456; assas- 
sinated, 457, 458 
Lincoln, General, 277 
Livingston, Chancellor, 358 
Livingston, Robert R., 395 
Long Island, battle of, 257-259 
Louisiana Purchase, 374-377 

McClellan, General, 461 
Magellan, 31-34 
Mandan Indians, 380 
Manhattan Island, 120 
Marion, Francis, 285-288 
Marquette, Father, 158-162 
Maryland, 87-92 
Massachusetts, 90-115, 140-149 
Massasoit, 105 
Mayflower, 95, 96, 101, 104 
Meade, General, 465 
Mexican Cession, 424 
Mexican War, 424 



Minuit, Peter, 120 
Minutemen, 234, 244 
Mississippi River, 52-54, 159, 169 
Missouri Compromise, 438 
Mohawk Valley, 268, 269 
Monroe, James, 376 
Montcalm, General, 200-203 
Montezuma, 37-41 
Montreal, 56 
Morgan, Daniel, 282-284 
Morse, Samuel F. B., 405-411 
Mound Builders, 28, 29 

Napoleon I, 376 
National Road, 398, 399 
Negroes, 84, 363-367, 437-442 
New Amsterdam, 119, 124 
New England, 90-115, 140-149 
New Haven Colony, 114 
New Nether land, 116-129, 153-156 
New Orleans in 1803, 377-379 
New York, 116-129, 153-156 
Northwest Passage, 55, 74, 118, 164 
Nullification, 440, 441 

Oglethorpe, 136-139 
Ohio Company, 185 
Old North Church, 237 
Old South Church, 227-229 

Packhorses, 391 

Partisan warfare in the South, 285 

Patroons, 122, 123 

Penn, William, 131-135 

Pennsylvania, 130-135 

Pequot Indians, 172-174 

Philadelphia, 132 

Philip, King, war of, 175, 176 

Pilgrims, 93-108 

Pitcairn, Major, 240, 241 

Pitt, William, 198, 213 

Pittsburg Landing, battle of, 469 

Pizarro, 42-47 

Plymouth, 101-107 

Pocahontas, 75-77, 82 

"Poor Richard's Almanac," 193 

Powhatan, 7.5-77 



500 



INDEX 



Prescott, Samuel, 239, 241 
Prcscott, William, 247 
Protective Tariff, 439-442 
Providence, 112 
Provincial Congress, 234, 235 
Puritans, 93, 108-115 
Putnam, General, 257 

Quakers, 130-132 
Quebec, capture of, 200-203 

Railroads, 402-405 
Raleigh, Sir Walter, 63-69 
Randolph, Edmund, 361 
Republican party, 447 
Revere, Paul, 229, 237, 241 
Revolution, causes of, 205-208, 213, 

214, 222-230 
Rhode Island, 112 
Roanoke Island, 65-69 
Robertson, James, 311-314, 320-325 
Rolfe, John, 82 

Rotch, Benjamin, 225, 227, 228 
Rowe, John, 228 
Rumsey, John, 391 

St. Lawrence River, 55-57 

St. Mary, Convent of, 7 

Salem, 108, 110 

Samoset, 104, 106 

Santa Maria, 8 

Savannah, 137 

Schenectady, attack on, 178-180 

Scott, General, 441 

Scrooby, 93 

Secession of South Carolina and ten 

more slave States, 455 
Seminole Indians, 389 
Serapis (se-ra'-pis), 295-297 
Sevier, John, 326-335 
Shelby, Isaac, 332 
Shenandoah Valley, Sheridan in, 

475-478 
Sheridan, Philip H., 475-478 
Sherman, William Tecumseh, 471- 

475 
Sherrill, Kate, 329, 330 



Shiloh, battle of, 469 

Slavery, 84, 365-369, 437-442 

Smith, Captain John, 73-78 

Smith, Colonel, 240, 241, 242 

Sons of Liberty, 222 

South Carolina, 440, 441 

Southern Colonies, 149-153 

Speedwell, 95 

Squanto, 104 

Stamp Act, 205, 210-215 

Standish, Miles, 97, 98, 100, 103, 105 

Steamboat, 391-397 

Steel, 493-495 

Stephens, Alexander H., 455 

Stuart, J. E. B., 463-465 

Stuyvesant, Governor, 126-129 

Sutter, Captain, 422-425 

Tariff, 439-442 

Taxation of the colonies, 205, 210- 

212, 214, 235-239 
Tea, tax on, 225 
Telegraph, 405-411 
Tennessee, 320-335 
Texas, 413-418 
Thanksgiving, 106 
Tobacco, 81, 83, 85, 91 
Tories, 221, 332 
Travel, modes of, 90, 148, 149 
Treaty at close of Revolution, 289 
Trenton, victory at, 264-266 

Valley Forge, sufferings at, 273-275 
Venice, 2 

Vespucius, Americus, 16, 17 
Vicksburg, capture of, 466, 470, 471 
Vincennes, 344, 347, 348, 352, 353 
Virginia, 65, 71-85 

Warren, Joseph, 236, 237 

Washington, D. C, made the national 
capital, 361 

Washington, George, in the last 
French War, 186-190; in the Revo- 
lution, 245, 248-275; as President, 
355-357 

Watauga, 320-335 



KD- 5 «4 



INDEX 



501 



Webster, Daniel, 435-437, 441, 442, 

445, 446 
West, Benjamin, 394, 410 
Wheat, 487-490 
White, John, 67, 69 
Whitney, Eli, 362, 363 
Wilderness Road, 304, 321 



Williams, John, 182 
Williams, Roger, 110-112 
Winthrop, John, 108, 109 
Wolfe, General, 198-202 

Yorktown, Cornwallis's surrender 
at, 289 



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